So I have some housekeeping and updates connected to my 2013 goals.
It has been pointed out to me that 2000 words a day is NaNoWriMo levels of writing. I know that I said the goals couldn’t/shouldn’t be revised downwards, but I am really afraid that 2000 words a day is so unattainable that I simply won’t be able to do it, will get so far off target that I will get frustrated and will give up. So I revising that number down to 1000 words a day.
I have also chosen to give myself a total day off on Sundays. There will be no blog posts at all on Sunday. And precious little writing at all. We all deserve a Sabbath, and as I am trying to make this into my career, I feel that this is a good time to start setting reasonable limits.
However, both of these mean that I will definitely be doing to NaNoWriMo events this year: at least one Camp and the main event in November.
Finally, there was something that I forgot to include in my goals. There is a book project idea that I have been kicking around for about a year. It would be an edited volume that I hope to put together. That is all that I am going to say about it at this point. But I am adding it to my goals of 2013. By the end of the year I really want to have it to a point that it is close to being done and being shopped to publishers if one isn’t secured prior to that point. As things become more clear and concrete I will post more about it. Suffice it to say, it is something that I am really excited and passionate about and am really excited that I am adding it to my list of goals for the year.
With these changes it means that my goals for 2013 now look like this:
Carter’s 2013 Goals:
1) Read 52 books by the end of the year (for an ongoing count look to the right tool bar. I am using Goodreads to help me keep track)
2) Write at least 1000 words a day (This can be across platforms)
3) Participate in, and complete, at least two NaNoWriMo event in 2013
4) Publish to this blog at least three times a week (Preferably, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but possibly more often)
5) By December have at least one short story in the process of being published
6) By December have at least one non-fiction piece published (either online or off, but with a minimum readership to be determined later)
7) Create a video for WheezyWaiter’s origin project (Due by the end of February)
8) Begin to leverage the power of video sharing communities (like youtube) and other online tools to share my passion for history, philosophy, the humanities, and/or theology
9) Loose 40 pounds
10) By the end of the year, have a definite plan on how to finish my Masters
11) Book projectThese goals can be revised upwards (i.e. more blog posts, more words, more books) but not downwards. They also can be revised for clarity (i.e. if all my words are going towards one thing ) but not in a way that would lower the standard. If it looks like that I am going to fail, so be it. Failure, while not optimal, is better than cheating myself by making things too easy.
Seems like “downwards” has too much of a negative connotation for me. That is, it’s based on one perspective on what is “achievement” or “good”. I would imagine one could view revising writing goals as a “positive” in that it would be taking steps to care oneself and be mindful of possibilities and limitations. Also, perhaps positive in that it communicates an awareness of the anxieties that can be present and indeed driving in goal-setting.
Maybe, maybe not. What the hell is a NaNoWriMo? Hope you’re well, C.
matt
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The idea behind it is to force yourself to sit your rear in a chair and just write. No revisions. No second guesses. Just write.
It is a great concept, especially for someone like me that has a hard time putting my butt in the chair to get things done.
Here is a link to it: http://nanowrimo.org