Post your goals for this month and this new year!
Let us know how you got on with last month’s goals and how you feel about the past year. What did you learn? What did you finish? What did you give up? What did you start?
Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyoneâs doing.
(It doesnât have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)
Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.
And donât forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!
Download your SWAGr Tracking Sheet now, to keep track of your commitments this month
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Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months
- Write a story a day in May – everyone!
- Revise at least 10 short stories – Iraide
- Write two short stories. â Jami
- Attend one writersâ conference â Julie
- Write fable for WordFactory competition â Sonya
- Re-read the backstory pieces I wrote in May and see if I can use them within my novel – Monique
- Research the market – Jami
- Focus on my serial â Maureen
 So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below (use the drop-down option to subscribe to the comments and receive lovely, encouraging notifications from fellow StADa SWAGr-ers!)
(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends!)
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I have accomplished the goal of having some interaction with my manuscript every single day. This might mean rewriting several scenes or one paragraph, but in the month of January I have missed only one day.
For December, I managed as intended: my monthly IWSG post on December 5th and the WEG flash fiction prompt for December 17th, which built on my October contribution. I also achieved my priority, beta-reading a historical fiction novel for a New Zealand writer that beta-read a short for me.
January’s writing task is working on draft two of my NaNoWriMo 2018 novel – but that will stretch into February as the month has been tough so far. And I have a UK Tax return due.
My goal is to work on a new fanfic, see about changing over this novella fic I wrote into something publishable, and read a lot. I have a huge backlog of books from last year and the year(s) before, so I want to get through them.
I don’t think I posted goals for December, so it’s probably no surprise I can’t remember what I achieved, either. Don’t love that feeling. Lesson learned.
For January I will
-Finish and submit Big Article
-Finish novel and share with critique partners
-Complete big, scary back-end stuff for StoryADay
-Take part in NYCMidnight’s Short Story Contest (and therefore write one short story)
-Write one further 100 word story
-Post writing prompts and a couple of podcast episodes
-Begin to put StoryADay plans in motion for this year
Your comment about not posting goals reminds me of what I suggest to my students about goal setting. Most of them have the broad goal of “improve my English.” I try to get them to be to explain what that means specifically–have a conversation with a stranger? Learn five new words a day? Reach a TOEFL score? Anyway, I need to follow my own advice, so my goal for today is to come up with my specific list.
I am brand new to this website. All I want to do in January is start to write a little bit 5 times a week. Right now, I’m counting either fiction or journal writing.
Welcome!
I think that sounds like a great goal. Showing up at your desk five days a week will do a lot to cement your identity as an active writer!
Hello! And that sounds like a good goal. Good luck and welcome!
Hi, all!
My plans for December were:
*to finish a short story for submission (I did that!).
*work on a couple of other stories for submission to other markets (I’m working on one).
*write at least one or two more pieces for Medium on the craft and process of writing (did not happen).
*final edit and read-through of my all but finished novel (I’m working on this).
January’s plan are going to be slightly curtailed by the same consulting contract that impeded my plans for December, but I have one short story to edit/finish for submission midway through the month and I want to work on polishing of the all-but-finished novel. Hopefully, I’ll get another piece (or two) written for Medium.
Good luck, all!
Good luck to you too!
P.S. How do you like writing for Medium?
Didn’t get quite as much done in December as I wanted, but I did get a good bit done.
Finish 1st draft:
GH & SF 2 – No
Craving You – No
Finish edits:
GH & SF – No
Publish Flames of Renewal – YES!
I also finished drafting a few side projects which I didn’t list here.
For January:
Finish 1st drafts:
Craving You
GH & SF 2
Finish edits:
GH & SF 1
Law of Choice(once I get it back from critique partner)
Good luck on those goals! You may not get everything done you wanted, but I’m impress with all that you do.
Happy new year, everyone!
I met my December goal half way. We agreed that my outstanding Christmas letter (in the form of an essay) counted as one piece selected for publication, and a short story submitted to my editing class met the requirement for a second. I’m happy.
1. In January, I will continue journaling and writing fiction every day.
2. I will write one short story every week.
3. Inspired by the Ray Bradbury lecture Julie shared, I will read one poem, one essay and one short story every night before bed.
4. Enter our public library short story writing contest, deadline February 15. I have three pieces I am considering.
I feel good about this year. I’m a sucker for the number 19.
The following are the only writing goals I completed in December:
I drafted one poem and sent it for feedback. I also drafted another poem and part of a third one. The three poems for different forms about the same subject. One of my goals for January is to figure out which form I want to submit somewhere and to submitted along with another poem I’ve already revised.
I’m taking a poetry class in informal fashion (sorted by Internet correspondence) this semester, so I will be producing a poetry portfolio between January 14 and May 1. I don’t know yet what the course requirements for January will be.
Stretch goal for January:
Revise my novel for nine minutes each day.
I feel like you should get some kind of prize for making the first commitment of the year. Yay, you!
And I love that nine-minutes commitment. So specific and odd enough to work đ
I love the nine minutes each day idea. And best wishes on the poetry class. That sounds like a good thing.