Wednesday, January 3, 2018

2018 Goals #IWSG #amwriting #amediting

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. January's co-hosts are Tyrean Martinson, The Cynical Sailor, Megan MorganRachna Chhabria, and Jennifer Lane. Find the other IWSG participants here.
Happy New Year! It's hard to believe 2018 is upon us, but we've made it.

In 2017, I wrote 111,465 words and edited 908,937 words between my own work and other people's work. I've been on a writing hiatus since October 24, but I'm back writing as of January 1. And I'm trying to be more realistic of what I can accomplish. *crosses fingers* We'll see how it goes.

In 2018, my goals include:
  • Publish Forged (The Fate Challenges #2) in mid-2018.
  • Publish Elements of Untethered Realms (Elements of Untethered Realms 1-4) in October 2018.
  • Rewrite and start editing Destined (The Fate Challenges #3) for a 2019 release.
I also hope to read at least twenty-four books, continue to critique for my critique partners, and schedule in the occasional breaks.

What are your goals for 2018?

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question:What steps have you taken to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing? For over two years, I wrote every single day. I don't plan to do quite that, but I am trying to do better about having reasonable goals and scheduling in some downtime too. For me, I need to remember writing is part-time. I have a full-time job, and it's too hard for me to treat writing as one too. So my plan is to have monthly goals and take one day at a time.

Since I'm trying to be more realistic about my goals, here is what I hope to accomplish in January.
  • Rewrite/edit 20,000 words in Forged.
  • Edit my friend's novel.
Yep, that's pretty much it. Five thousand words or so a week and I'll meet my writing goal, but I'm hoping to spend a few days writing/editing more so I can take a day or two off here and there.

Here's to a productive 2018!

A reminder: Bookworm News has moved to the last day of the month.

40 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Five thousand is really good. You had such an amazing pace the past few years, it you don't want to burn out.

Jennifer Hawes said...

You have some wonderful accomplishments from last year. Be proud. That is a lot of words!

M.J. Fifield said...

Best of luck with your 2018 goals—and your January goals, too. 5000 words (or so) a week sounds mighty impressive to me.

Hope you're feeling great after your hiatus!

Christine Rains said...

Those are very reasonable goals, and I like that you're adding in breaks. You need to take care of yourself. And do go ahead and read through OGaS. I'm curious as to what you think of it storywise. :) Have a great week!

Loni Townsend said...

Sounds achievable and that's good. Best of luck with your publishing, and I hope you manage to sticking to writing only part time. :)

Carrie-Anne said...

Good luck with your goals! You certainly had a very productive year.

Sherry Ellis said...

I'm amazed at how much you wrote last year! I think you'll avoid burnout with more realistic goals. Good luck with everything. Here's to a great 2018!

Anonymous said...

Good luck to your goals. I can understand not wanting to do a full time job and write full time. You'll barely have time for anything else!

Chrys Fey said...

Happy New Year!!! Those are impressive numbers. I wish you all the best with your goals in 2018!

Chemist Ken said...

Daily goals are tough. Too many things can pop up during a day to prevent you from reaching them. Weekly goals do seem like the better option. Of course, if you get too far behind, then you might start stressing out on the sixth day, but that's part of being a writer. Happy new year, Cherie!

cleemckenzie said...

Wow! You keep track of the number of words you write and edit? That's pretty darned amazing.

Julie Flanders said...

Sounds like you have a great plan. Good luck and Happy New Year to you, Cherie!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Almost a million words edited. That is impressive. If I could count what I edit for DLP, I wonder how many I edited?

emaginette said...

Love the plan—simple and doable. :-)

Anna from elements of emaginette

Cathrina Constantine said...

I had a December hiatus and loved it. While a new storyline hasn't popped into my head, I'm back to editing the project I finished in 2017. It sounds like you have a good plan in place for the upcoming year. Wishing you much success in 2018!!!

Juneta key said...

You are so impressive in what you do and get done. You go girl. Wishing you much success and joy in 2018.
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Nick Wilford said...

Yes, you have to go at your own pace and you'll get there. Your plans sound very reasonable. Good luck!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great goals that sound realistic. I agree with you that it's too hard to write full-time with a full-time job. Relaxing, balance, and good health are important too. Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

5000 a week is bloody marvellous! You'd do Nano in 10 days. (There are always some who do btw.) Keep going!

Sarah Foster said...

Good luck with all of your goals this year! I'm definitely impressed by your word count last year.

Yolanda Renée said...

Wonderful accomplishments!

Wishing you success in 2018! May you reach all your goals!

dolorah said...

I think smaller goals are more achievable. Good luck this month :)

Cathy Keaton said...

Happy New Year! Sounds like 2018 is about being realistic and remembering you're a human and not machine. We all need some time to rest every now and then.

Machines do, too, now that I think about it....

H. R. Sinclair said...

5000 seems doable and a good way to keep going but not stretch yourself thin. Best of luck!

Gwen Gardner said...

You got so much done, but everybody needs downtime at some point. Good luck with your goals this year, Cherie.

Happy New Year!

Stephanie@Fairday's Blog said...

So glad you are setting more realistic goals for yourself (though 5000 words a week is a lot). Wishing you the best of luck with your 2018 goals and hope you feel more relaxed as the year goes on. :)

Tamara Narayan said...

Amazing word count. I am impressed with all the writers who hold full time jobs as well. You guys rock.

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Bravo to you, Cherie, for all you've accomplished in the past. Writing every day is tough! Downtime. That's the one thing I'm having trouble fitting in to my schedule. Someone always needs something from me--and I'm not talking manuscripts. [Wouldn't that be nice?]

All best to you in 2018!

Michelle Wallace said...

Over the last two years, your writing pace has been amazing!
You know what you're capable of and it seems like you've found a balance... and what works for you.
Happy 2018 & Happy Writing!

Crystal Collier said...

Simple is better. I love that plan of attack.

Stephen Tremp said...

Sometimes scaling down is a good thing. You can get a lot more accomplished best wishes to you for 2018.

Heather R. Holden said...

Whoa, I'm beyond impressed with your 2017 accomplishments. The fact that you managed to squeeze in so much writing during a year you took a hiatus amazes me. And I can relate to wanting to tackle more realistic goals. My mental health hasn't been the best, so I'm being more mindful of what I can achieve this year myself. Best of luck with all your 2018 goals!

M Pax said...

You never fail to inspire me. I had to slow down, too. Many days, I'm too burned out to do much when I get home. So I don't. I only have weekends,and I have to be realistic. I know my schedule sounds crazy, but most of it is putting out work already done.

Dawn Simon said...

You have been super productive! Good for you!

I agree about keeping goals realistic. Balance is so important! I like that you include reading alongside your writing goals. Good luck with your 2018 goals! :)

Nas said...

All the best for your 2018 goals! You've been productive and going the right way!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I think reasonable goals is a great idea. If you exhaust yourself, you can't enjoy it and where is the fun in that?

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Misha Gerrick said...

I'm trying to get into the zone of writing or editing every day, because I was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too slack last year.

All the best with 2018!

Mark said...

Dang, you're rocking it on the writing front! I hope I can do half as well this year:)

TL said...

Those are reasonable goals--best of luck with them. :-)