Writing Goals

I added a new Page to my blog today, so I could keep track of my writing goals. I wanted to make this public, to keep me honest and motivated. Tomorrow is my birthday, and birthdays always make me think about where I am in life and where I’m going. I have been procrastinating/honing my skills as a writer for the past three years, with MANY unfinished stories to show for it. If I want to get my first story published this summer, I HAVE to get moving!

There’s no magic feather, or bullet, etc in the writing process. It’s all about sitting still and physically making the words and thoughts from my head, flow out into something tangible. I know how to do this. I have reams and reams of “dribble” to prove this. What I don’t have is a FINISHED story that I feel truly proud of, not yet at least. The only way to get this is to set up personal goals for myself, and to follow through on them.

Today I started with a small goal. I finally wrote the description/blurb that will go on the back cover of my story. Believe it or not, this has been plaguing me for a while. I kept getting stuck and putting it off. I finally had to ask myself, if I can’t write a few simple sentences describing my story, how would I ever keep said story on track? I’m the author. If ANYONE should know what this story is about, it should be me!

I’m sure this seems obvious, but until today, I couldn’t figure out how to write this information. Sure I could tell you the background story of every character. I could tell you their hopes and dreams. I could tell you the type of music each character listened to. That didn’t mean I had a definitive blurb to answer; “So what’s your story about?” Today I answered this question in a few short sentences. It’s such a relief.

I have eight more chapters that need editing, writing, or rewriting. I know I can finish these up with a little more focus and a LOT less procrastinating! The outlines are in place. I just have to stop looking for excuses and get typing!