2010 Goals Part 2

Here are my writing goals for next year, the “what I can do” sections have ideas that other writers may find useful. Achievability is crucial, so I have a plan to meet each goal. I have also looked at contingencies and challenge goals (because I am an overachiever).

Write another book, maybe 2

My goal as a part-time novelist is to write a book each year. The story at the forefront of my mind is a Middle Grade book, which will be very short (1/4 - 1/2 an adult book). Depending on what happens with ZOMBIE PROOF FENCE, I may have ~6 months available after writing the MG book. My challenge goal will therefore be to write a second book. Here is what I can do:

• Write every day. This is the most important step. At 500 words per day, a first draft emerges fairly quickly. At this rate, it will take 240 days to write first drafts of both books. This leaves some wiggle room for life, revisions, short stories and the like.
• Plan. Develop characters, story arc, know the ending, explore enough to KNOW the story closes in a satisfying way--all before starting the draft. This insures success.
• Measure progress. This helps keep me focused, and also shows me when I’m getting off track.
• Write first drafts. With so many things going on, expecting polished drafts is too much. If time permits, I will revise the new book(s), but realistically that may fall into 2011 as ZPF is the #1 priority this year.
• Share. Sharing outlines and early chapters with my local writers group does two things. First, it provides external deadlines. Second, it helps expose weaknesses in characters, world-building and voice. This feedback allows me to make course corrections early on, and results in a far more mature first draft.
• Re-evaluate after key life events. If ZPF sells, I will have a deadline for revision and need to focus on marketing. After the first book is done, my goals may shift. The unexpected could happen with family or work. After major life events, I will reevaluate to keep my goals achievable, yet challenging.

Write 6 New Short Stories

Short stories are fast--fast to write, to revise, and to sell. They improve writing skills quickly, they build self-confidence, they allow experimentation, and they help build an audience. I plan to keep this part of my writing going in 2010. Here’s how:

• Write every day. Déjà-vu because I wrote yesterday too.
• Capture ideas. You never know where a story will come from, so write down ideas, character sketches, dialogue, whatever--and keep those notes organized and indexed.
• Pace = 1 story per 2 months.
• Plan = 1 month to draft, 1 month to revise.
• Share. Shorts are good for writers group. Once polished, submit. The more work in the mail, the greater the odds of getting work published.
• Enjoy. A quick or experimental short story is a lot of fun and less stressful than the novel work. Short stories are good for taking a break, a change of pace, or a stress reliever.

Blog Weekly

Started blogging last year, but it was intermittent. Plan for this year is to blog at least once per week. The challenge goal is to blog twice per week. Here is what I can do:

• Write every day. Hmm. I’m seeing a trend.
• Post every Sunday. This is the most reliable day for getting things done (given my schedule).
• Write book reviews. Interesting content for readers, and good ‘fill’ for lean weeks.
• Write serial articles on writing. I know a lot about writing. Yay. Some of my trick and tips can help other writers so why not share? A structured series will be interesting to read on the blog, and I can write sections or themes more efficiently than random posts which improved the on-time delivery of content.

So there you have it. What are your goals, and what is your plan to achieve them?

Goals for 2010

Here are my writing goals for next year. Achievability is crucial, so I have a plan to meet each goal. I have also looked at contingencies and challenge goals (because I am an overachiever).

#1 -- Get my completed fiction published

Sell Zombie Proof Fence
Okay, so I might not have 100% control of this, but here is what I can do:

• Keep it in the hands of agents. If one set doesn’t take it on, query the next set.
  
• Put it in the hands of publishers. Simultaneous subs don’t fly with most publishers, so this is a serial process--one publisher at a time. One has a partial now. I have three more in the queue so if the first doesn’t like it, it goes to the next.
  
• Revise. Have good feedback on the lastest draft, and the MS is over-length for the target market. That means another draft. I hope to do this with the editorial inputs of a purchasing editor, or at least an agent, but it will see another draft this year.
  
• Advertise. Through blog, Twitter and Facebook, make sure people know it’s available. In 2009, these forums netted one Agent requesting full MS, and one publisher requesting a partial. So, yes, the web presence helps.

Sell short stories
This is an ongoing process. I had 4 short story sales last year, 2 of which were published, 2 still pending. To quantify this goal: Sell at least 4, at least 1 to a pro market. Here is what I can do:

• Submit existing stories. I have ~12 stories done. Keep them in the mail, and if one is rejected, submit to another market that same week (challenge goal: resubmit in 24 hours).
  
• Write new stories. Duh. New material, showing my best writing. These are the ones with a realistic chance of selling to a pro market (as most of my existing stories have already done those rounds).
  
• Advertise. Same as above, but the goal is more to generate traffic/sales for my publishers than to sell my work. I want people to read my fiction, and I want the publications I appear in to be successful and to benefit from publishing my work.

Summary of 2010 goals

Started listing goals this morning, thinking about why each goals mattered, and how I would achieve them. This resulted in pages of material--too much for a blog post.

Instead, here is a summary. I will follow with details about each of these as the rational for the goal, and the strategy to achieve it may be of interest.

2010 Goals:

• Sell Zombie Proof Fence
  
• Sell 4+ short stories. 1+ to pro markets
  
• Write another book
  
• Write 6+ short stories
  
• Blog weekly
  
• Help other aspiring authors

There you have it folks. My next few posts will delve into these in a little more detail.

The Mandala in 2010

Dear Readers,

Here is what I am planning for this blog in the coming year. I hope you find it interesting, and if there is something you would like me to write about, drop a comment.

On writing a book
Will walk through the writing of a book:

• The planning,
  
• The outlining,
  
• The character development,
  
• The opening,
  
• The ending,
  
• And writing the first draft.
  
• (maybe) delve into the editing process

This will include general advice, and observations and status reports on my own writing of a short book (targeted at Middle Grade Readers, so only ~40K words).

Writing 101
Will begin a writing 101 series, providing my perspective on various aspects of writing and the tools that work for me, including outlines, work habits, revision, proofreading, marketing, career development.

Status on my own writing
Status on my own writing, including the marketing, revision, and I hope publishing of Zombie Proof Fence; as well as status and news on short stories, sales, and the misadventures of the Writer’s Bloc writing group.

So that is the plan. I hope you find this useful or at least entertaining and will join me for a fruitful and fun 2010.

Advice for the New Year

Here is my New Year’s Advice, this is targeted at writers, but applies to everyone:

• Tip351 - Year's end-a good time to ponder what you have written this year, and what you plan to write with the next.
  
• Tip352 - Keep your goals realistic -- if you reach too far, you will disappoint yourself and that is difficult to recover from.
  
• Tip353 - Why not break yearly goals down into monthly goals. See? Much less intimidating.
  
• Tip354 - Planning: break monthly writing goals into weekly goals. Keep these loose so you can respond to events in your life.
  
• Tip355 - Build a spreadsheet to track progress against your goals--success only counts if it is measured against failure.
  
• Tip356 - Now you have a target. What do you need to reach it? More writing time? More know-how? More support? Make a list.
  
• Tip357 - Take your list of needs and look at each--how will you meet this need? Is this realistic? Who can help?
  
• Tip358 - Are you part of a local writing group? You should be. The new year is a good time to join one--or start one.
  
• Tip359 - What did you NOT finish this year? Is important to finish it? If not file it away and don't worry about it anymore.
  
• Tip360 - Almost the new year. Why not start early? Get your list of next year's goals and tackle the first one.
  
• Tip361 - Look around your writing space. How can you make it better? Do so.
  
• Tip362 - Music is a great way to modulate your mood--which helps the mood of your writing. Find mood music for your project.
  
• Tip363 - Family is often the writer's first and best support. Thank yours, and support their passions as they support yours.
  
• Tip364 - Writing creates flab. Magical flab. Make a new year's resolution to exercise you body and mind.
  
• Tip365 - Writing can be lonely. Surround yourself with enjoyable people to welcome the new year. You may take this one day off.

There you go, have a happy new year.

Unapologetically Strong

Had an interesting discussion on “unapologetically strong” female leads, which seem to be popular of late. It’s an interesting label. But what does it really mean?

A man who is unapologetically strong is what? Pushy, unconcerned about the feelings and needs of others--a jerk in other words. This is not a good choice for protagonist as readers are unlikely to sympathize with such a person.

So is that what an unapologetically strong female lead is? A jerk? And if so, why do so many people like to read about characters like this? It seems to me that a person who behaves with callous disregard for others is a poor choice for a protagonist whether male or female.

Don’t know--but a strong character is certainly someone readers can connect with. Strength can mean uncompromising, determined, stubborn, driven--many things that people respect and admire. However, for such a character to be sympathetic, someone a reader is going to bond with, someone a reader wants to spend 400 pages with, then this strong person needs to be concerned about the needs and feelings of others. Thus, a strong but sympathetic protagonist is probably not unapologetic.

Curious how others define this and what their reading experience is like.

Book Review: Writing And Selling The Young Adult Novel

Review of: Writing And Selling The Young Adult Novel by K. L. Going

Who should read this book
New writer interested in YA
Journeyman writer curious about YA

Who should not
Experienced writers

Review
This is a good starting book -- about 70% of the content is writing 101 stuff--the kind of things you might see in writer’s digest, or on the writing track at literature or genre convention.

Only about 30% of the content is relevant to writing YA vs. writing in general. It gives a taste of YA, the kind of stuff that is interesting for people deciding whether or not to write YA. However there is no meat--this will not help someone writing YA write it better.

Also, the format is gimmicky--arranged as ‘periods’ to mimic high school. The gimmick adds nothing, and I found it annoying.

Bottom line
A good starting place for a beginner.