 Short Stories: January 01, 2020 Issue [#9942] |
This week: New Year, New Habits? Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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New Year, New Habits?
Some ideas for common writer resolutions!
What are your writing related resolutions for the year? |
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I've written about making good goals before, and it's a thing I think a lot about, especially this time of year when folks are trying to renew old good habits, curb new bad habits, or something in between.
If you need help figuring out ways to set goals for your writing, I'd definitely suggest taking a look through this primer on goal setting I wrote a few years back: "Using SMART Goals To Build Your New Year"
I'm not much of a resolution-setter, and I haven't entered a Dear Me in several years. (But: you should definitely think about it! It's a good way to contemplate your writing goals for the year.) I have found that one of the things I like to do is pick a word, or a few, to try to define my year with, to give myself something of a framework for the coming year and help me think of the big picture in new and different ways. If you struggle with setting goals, this might be worth considering as a way to reframe your thoughts about what you'd like to accomplish this year.
Since 2020 is a big year for me in terms of various career details, I'm going to go with "finishing" for one of mine. Yes, there's an obvious joke there, and I will simply smile politely while I wait for the giggles to subside. I do need to finish more of my writing projects this year--certainly, more than I did last year, at any rate. For me, "finish" is more than just a... somewhat obvious set of instructions (Mortal Kombat fans in unison: ... yeah) In the fabrication and sculpture world, where a lot of my non-writing work is, "finishing" refers to all the detailing that has to be done in order for a piece of artwork or furniture, etc, to be finished. It seems somewhat obvious, but the specific kind of finishing that needs to be done on any given project or artwork.
And, all else aside, that's pretty true of my writing as well. I have a lot of pieces that need different kinds of finishing. Some need top-down sanding and polishing, others need... oh, right, writing--I have a lot of works in progress and none of them are complete at the moment, which is ... challenging, to say the least.
If you are resistant to goal-making or hesitant about setting a resolution for the new year, it might be easier to break them down into such small pieces that they feel more attainable. Instead of giving yourself a long list of something that feels like homework, consider stripping it down to its component parts so it's less overwhelming. For example, instead of making plans for the whole year, try making them weekly! The Weekly Goals forum is a great place to do that and get support and feedback from other WdC members.
If you find it hard to think about your writing with a strong visualization of how you would like it to go, you may need to figure out some other ways to set goals for it--this is definitely part of my problem as much of my fiction writing is exploratory and while I might have a rough road map, I still discover lots in the details along the way, which can make planning a big project more complicated than I would like. It might be a matter of quantifying "work done" by things other than word count or time spent, though both of those can be useful metrics. Sometimes the only thing that works is being able to pick out one good sentence I wrote that day. (and there are days where I write no good sentences, but I digress.)
In any case--there are lots of ways to set actionable and measurable goals, but if you find that it's hard to do, it's always worth exploring other ways to get there!
Until next time,
Take care and Write on!
Jay |
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Thank you so much for all of your feedback on "When There is Nothing in the Tank" -- this was a newsletter that meant a lot to me as this was a bit of a rebuilding year in terms of my craft, and there have been many times, of late, where I truly did have nothing in the tank.
Lucinda Lynx  writes:
This is very well written. It's easy to read and understand. I admit, I have those "stuck in the mud" - times. At other times the words just flow. I can relate to this text. Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Lucinda!
Jenstrying writes:
That license the write badly you received, I think a physical copy would do wonders for me. Do you have a suggestion as to where I can find something similar to either print up or order? I looked a bit myself online but I can't find anything.
Thanks for the great article and any help.
I don't have a source, sorry! Mine wasn't made by me so I don't feel comfortable copying off the text, as it was crafted by one of the instructors at Viable Paradise--likely Jim MacDonald, who retired from instruction at VP a few years ago. I'm sure there's something out there somewhere--but honestly the important thing is that whatever it is makes you feel a little less weird about just writing stuff to get it out of your head. You might even be able to give yourself that permission--a friend of mine writes a new Post-It type note to himself every day of the "it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be done" variety, and collects them up every year.
Quick-Quill  writes:
I thought at one time I wasn't a REAL I'm just a hack. Then I wrote a novel that everyone who's read it loved, including me. I thought I'M Published, I'm a real author! I continue to work at the craft. To build another great story that people will love to read. I'm still working on it. I just need another great idea like that first one.(I borrowed from a fellow wdc writer.) "Why?" I asked. "I don't know," was answer. I had my character and the story ending. I just wrote it backwards. I see plots hopping around,one after another, then NOTHING! They will come again.
It's a process, that's for sure!
willwilcox writes:
Very good and a fun read
Thanks, Bill! I'm always glad to hear it!
x The T Lady x writes:
Oh my god! Thank you!!! That's so fabulous that you put my story in your editors picks newsletter. I really appreciate that! Thank you :)
Thank you for writing an awesome story to feature!
🐕GeminiGem🎁  writes:
I LOVE the idea of having a certificate that gives me permission to write badly! That is brilliant! It would make a perfect holiday present for any writer to help them through the inevitable dry spell. I may have to steal that idea and offer it up on the site. Remember, WdC writers, you can always keep an item on private setting if it isn't fit for others to read. There were also "bad story" and "bad poetry" contests at one point...
There sure were! I still have a whole folder full of deliberately bad poetry around here somewhere. 
Thanks so much, everyone! Please let me know if you have questions or comments and I'll be happy to include them in the next issue. Is there a short story publishing issue you have questions about? I'd be happy to address it in a future issue of the Short Stories newsletter!
All the best, Jay |
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