2019 Goal Setting and 2018 Review

Yay, it's the new year! I'm hoping, like many others, that 2019 goes a bit better than 2018 in every way possible.

When I do this post every year, it's really just to look forward and consider what I intend to work on for the year. The goals are fluid, and can be changed or replaced at any time. I don't believe in resolutions for the new year, so much as using this time period to narrow my plans.

First, my submissions for the year:

I submitted 51 stories.
I received 43 rejections.
I pulled 9 stories from submission for various stories (including magazines appearing to have gone under and no longer responding to queries.)
I placed 9 stories.
I released my first solo collection of short stories!
I ended the year with 9 stories still out on submission.

Apparently, the number for the year was 9. Here's hoping I beat that number this year.

My goals for the year were:

• Write a short story or flash piece each week (this is majorly pushing it for me, but I'm going to try.) hahahahahahahahaha!
• Read at least one book each week. Some weeks I got more than one in.
• Finish Novel #3. Not quite.
• Start Novel #4.
• Continue submitting short stories (aim for 100 rejections and 12 acceptances.) Marking it off because I did submit consistently, though I didn't reach the goals of 100 and 12.
• Write short stories in at least three genres.
• Write more nonfiction.
• Query craft book. Not yet. I've been debating self-publishing it instead.
• Self-publish short story collection.
• Evaluated Novel #1 to see if I want to pursue or trunk (though it's obviously trunked for now.)
• Take more pictures.
• Send workshop proposals to one conference new to me.

My goals for 2019 are:

• Finish novel #3
• Finish novel #4
• Make a decision on the craft book
• Write at least 1 short story each month
• Continue to explore other genres/styles
• Go to one new conference/convention
• Put out another collection
• Take more pictures
• Hike more
• Query novel #2

Now for links! Bear in mind I'm not endorsing these, merely passing them along. Always do your own due diligence before submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Atlantean Publishing is seeking fantasy stories related to Clark Ashton Smith's writing. Pays one penny sterling per word. Deadline January 31. 

Nashville Review is seeking fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Up to 8000 words. Pays up to $100. Deadline January 31.

Freeze Frame Fiction is seeking flash fiction. Up to 1000 words. Pays $10 per piece. Deadline January 31.

Otter Libris is seeking stories for MCSI: Magical Crime Scene Investigation. 3000 to 10,000 words. Pays $25. Deadline January 31.

Flash Bang Mysteries is seeking mystery flash fiction. 500 to 750 words. Pays $20. Deadline January 31.

Death's Head Press is seeking stories about revenge. 3000 to 8000 words. Pays $10. Deadline January 31.

Atthis Arts is seeking stories of all genres for Five Minutes at Hotel Stormcove. 1000 to 4000 words. Pays $.06/word. Deadline January 31.

Did you set any sort of goals or look ahead to your plans for the year? How did you do on last year's goals? Any of these links of interest? Anything to share?

May you find your Muse.

2014 Goal Setting and Inadvertent Hiatus

Oh boy, it's that time again. Time to set some goals for myself. I hate to call them resolutions, but I do like to look at the year to come and consider what I'd like to accomplish before the end of the next year.

Before I do that, I wanted to say a belated Merry Christmas! I took a somewhat inadvertent hiatus last week. My laptop died. My NEW laptop died. Apparently, it has hardware issues. I had access to other computers, but knew I wouldn't be able to do the Wednesday links post or photo post (I have my photos on my laptop, as well as the spreadsheet where I list any links I come across that I want to pass along). Luckily, my superhero hubby was able to take everything off that hard drive, put it on a new one in a different laptop that is currently either a temporary loaner or just my new laptop until we get this all worked out. I decided it was a great reason to give myself a break for a week, and ducked out of work-related items, as well. It was a pretty good break, all things considered, but I stressed about the things I should be doing, so not as good a break as it could have been.

Anyway, I'm back! I hope your week was wonderful.

Back to goal setting.

What did I achieve this year? 

• I sold my first paid short story (only to have the magazine tank). 
• I joined a critique group.
• I jumped into a fun collaborative writing project, and though it may never see a completed novel out of it, I don't feel like I wasted my time. It was a valuable experience.
• I un-trunked my first novel, because I decided it was worthwhile, and I have a plan of attack.
• I nearly finished my second novel. Soooo close now.
• I finished quite a few short stories.
• I participated in some great online projects, including the Tree of Life and Composers for the Philippines.

And I'm sure there are other things, but this is a good list for now, I think.


What would I like to achieve in 2014?

• Better self-discipline.
• Finish novel #2.
• Edit novel #1.
• Submit at least three short stories.
• Work out a better schedule (this is a perpetual goal...and one I never seem to achieve.)
• Spend more time writing.
• Do something writing-related that makes me nervous. Example: Submit to a pro-paying market I think I stand no chance of getting into.
• Write something different than what I typically write. For instance, a genre I don't dabble in typically. Romance? Erotica? Steampunk? 

Okay, enough goals for now. I wanted to make a do-able goal list. I'm tired of stressing myself out.

What are your goals for the year (or any time period)? Do you like setting goals for yourself, or would you rather avoid that whole rigmarole? When was the last time you did something in writing that scared you? What are your achievements for the year (I don't care how minor)? Do you keep your goals minor or do you like to use them to really stretch yourself? 

May you find your Muse.

Happy New Year...ahem...Tomorrow, Anyway

Okay, so I know it's a little early to say Happy New Year, but I'll be busy tomorrow, so you get it today.  Plus, I was part of engineering the end of the world on the 21st, so I figured I'd make up for it by ushering in 2013.  You do know, of course, that there is an apocalypse predicted to happen before tomorrow, right?  Wait, this blog isn't just about apocalypses...

Anywho, speaking of the new year, I don't really do resolutions, but I can't help but look at past goals and see where I am with them, and what I'd like to accomplish in the next year.  So I guess I sort of do resolutions, but not in the same sense as some?

As part of this, and before I mention next year's goals, I thought I'd revisit my Project 52 goals.  You can't see that tab right now, because I can't get the darned tabs/pages to wrap around and make a second row, so I can only have a couple visible at a time.  But, I will pass along what else I've achieved recently and the total numbers of finished goals.

13. Complete skinwalker short story
22. Journal
25. Write 1000 words daily for a week (excluding weekends) (did this one, INCLUDING weekends, yeah, baby!)
37. Don't forget to enjoy writing - if something becomes no fun, take a break and try something new (while this was meant more as a reminder, I've done it!  I haven't hated writing or felt pressured to do it so much as before)

I have some that were partially finished, but I decided they couldn't be listed.  Darn it.

So, my total for the year of finished over total was: 19/52

Yikes!  But I tell you what, I look at some of those goals now and go...meh.  And I accomplished things I hadn't listed, such as several more short stories, a couple submissions, presented workshops at two different events, booked at least one more for next year, and doing my very first blog hop that wasn't someone else's idea!  So, guess what?  I'm good with what I've accomplished this year.

For next year, I'll be updating my Project 52 list, and I hope to try to keep some track of books I read.  I'd also like to try to submit something each month, whether that be a short story, flash fiction, an article, a poem or a photograph  (or, by all means, a novel).  For my Project 52 list, I will be putting non-writing related goals on it this time, as last year I padded it with things I didn't necessarily really want to do, which is no way to create goals.  If I don't care about them, or they don't make sense for this year, what's the point?  So I'll look at modifying that, OR I'll reduce the number of goals I have to begin with, and simply add things as I go along.  A year is a long time, though sometimes it doesn't feel like it, and I know that my goals and ideals changed throughout the year in 2012, mutating as things progressed, and I came up with plenty of new goals that never found their way onto the list, but would have been crossed off had I done so.

Despite that, this year was a rather amazing year, and one I'll never forget, for many reasons.  I learned a lot, stretched myself outside my comfort levels on multiple occasions, became a part of some new things (another element of putting myself out of my comfort levels), took on some big jobs, and changed the way I saw certain things.  I survived the Waldo Canyon Fire.  I successfully took my kids on adventures this summer.  I started volunteering at the school.  

It has, overall, been a good year.

And for that, I'm thankful.

Have a wonderful 2013, everyone!

What are your goals or resolutions?  Did you achieve any of what you hoped to over the last year?  

May you find your Muse.

New Year, New Goals!

This year has been a good one, but I have not achieved much of what I'd hoped. I'd thought it would be easier to get time to write with my daughter in preschool for half days, but all that did was create one more reason I had to be out of the house for a couple hours each day. That, paired with other issues, insured I never managed to establish a routine for my writing, which is what got me through 2010 with a novel written.

That being said, I'm bound and determined to do better this year. I'm not one to set New Year's resolutions, but I have no problem with setting goals for the year to come.

It's been awhile since I posted a Project 52 update, so I figured I'd post my update, then add goals for the new year to fill it back up to 52 goals for 2012.

I finished:

13. Prepare flash fiction contest. (See HERE for more information on the contest).

21. Find old floppies with saved writing. (This is not technically completed, but is being removed, as I have discovered said floppies appear to be gone forever).

25. Check out RMFW and consider membership. (I have checked it out and do intend to become a member)>

27. Make blog tabs for resources, prompts, publications. (I made the tabs for what I wanted for the time being).

37. Research non-fiction book. (I'm removing this, because I've lost my enthusiasm for this particular project, but am considering another).

38. Start Scrivener file and introduction for non-fiction book. (Removing for the same reason as 37).

46. Post a weekly photo through the end of the year. (Accomplished, yay!)

50. Discover at least 1 new blog per week. (Done, and then some, yay!)

With these removed, I now have a list of 37. Considering I started the journey fairly late into the year, I'm satisfied with that completion rate, especially as some of those still on the list are partially, if not mostly, completed.

Courtesy clker.com

The rest of my list is as follows:

38. Prepare for the 2012 A to Z.
39. Contact publications about flash fiction contest.
40. Submit at least one flash fiction piece for publication.
41. Spend less time on the computer (unless writing).
42. Try hand at travel writing.
43. Submit one travel writing piece for publication.
44. Take four "field trips" this year.
45. Read at least two books on writing.
46. Establish writing routine through beginning of summer.
47. Join Friends of PPLD and RMFW.
48. Register for Pikes Peak Writers Conference.
49. Finish listening to writer's workshop materials.
50. Attend more writer's meetings.
51. Get better about reading through Writer's Digest magazines when they arrive.
52. Write at least five How-to articles for Helium.

What are your goals for the year?

May you find your Muse.