New Year’s Resolution #2: Finish a Novel
This might belong in the number one spot. One of my resolutions for 2008 is to complete a full-length novel. By complete, I mean that not only will the first draft be completed, but several rounds of editing will be done so that the novel can then be either determined as a practice and not suitable for the world or sent off to agents and publishing companies in hopes of obtaining publishing deal.
This past summer, I began this blog as a way to document a “Summer Writing Challenge”. I was to write 1,000 words a day and complete the first draft of a novel in 90 days. I only made it about halfway through the novel in those 90 days. With work, friends and family, I just did not have the time to do this. More than that, I feel like 1,000 words every single day is so much that it burns me out on the novel. When I started grad classes this fall, the novel got shelved. My work and school load was more than I could handle, and I have not worked on this novel at all since September.
This time, I am going to set some realistic goals for myself in hopes of completing just one novel in a year. I have not decided if I am going to attempt to revisit the half-written novel from this summer or if I am going to start on a fresh idea. Regardless, the following goals will apply to either one.
1. Write a minimum of 3,000 words per week. This is quite a bit lower than the 7,000 words per week I was aiming for on the last try. If I start fresh and want to write a 90,000 word novel, I will be finished with my first draft mid-July. I will have the rest of the year to edit and determine if the novel is publishing worthy. If I want to attempt finishing the half-written novel, I can be finished by mid-April.
2. Set specific days and times for novel writing. I think scheduling time for certain activities helps in actually completing those activities. For the novel writing, I would like to schedule certain times and days dedicated to this. This will most likely be three or four days out of the week.
3. Ask for help. This is a big one to me because it bothers me to have others read my rough draft writing. However, I’ve recently discovered that criticism isn’t always a bad thing. When someone is honestly pointing out areas that need improvement, it may be hard to accept. At least it is for me. But these areas of improvement need…improvement. And it helps to hear this from someone who can look at the work from a more objective point of view. Accept these critiques and use them to make the novel better.
New Year’s Resolution #1: Attend a Writing Class| Best of JenWriter in 2007 » »
Comments
My writing group has been talking about New Years goals, too, and everyone wants to “write that novel,” but I think you’re absolutely right: our goals have to be very, very specific. A specific time and a specific amount. After agonizing over this for a long time, I finally made myself get up at 6am and go into my day job an our early to write. I then found that I seemed to average about 500 to 600 words an hour, so I made that my minimum. (The software I use, called “Scrivener”, has a nice “Daily Target” status bar to let me know how far I’ve gone).
And critiques? To me, it’s like you’re getting all dressed up for an important night on the town, and just as you’re about to walk out the door, your friend points out that your fly is down (or, for girls, maybe your dress is tucked into your hose in the back). Like a critique, they’re just pointing out what you can’t see for yourself so you go out looking your best!
Good luck!
Sean Ashby
sean-ashby.blogspot.com
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