ROW80 Goals

Hello, all you wonderful people out there!!

I've decided to participate in A Round of Words in 80 Days, Round 2 for 2012. If anyone wants to know more about this program, you can check it out here: ROW80. Basically, it's a group of people agreeing to set a goal (or goals) that's reasonable for them and checking in on their progress twice a week for 80 days. They do four rounds a year, and the second one for this year starts April 2.

I'll be setting weekly goals. I like the idea of weekly goals better than daily since you get a little more wiggle room to fall behind (or get ahead) early and make it up (or chill) later on in the week.

Without further ado, here are my goals for the next 80 days so you can all help hold me accountable.

Write!!
1. I will write at least 1500 words a week. This may be on my fantasy novel WIP, romance novel WIP, short stories, or blog. Ideally, I will write at least 500 words a day, at least 3 times a week. I know, I'm aiming low, but I've had higher goals in the past and always fall short, get discouraged, then give up. So, we'll start here and see what happens.

2. I will complete a short story and submit it by the end of this round. This is a big one for me. I've just started writing seriously in the last six months or so, and I haven't completed any works yet. (Shocker, right?) I get lots of ideas, and have started a few projects, but have yet to finish a story so I don't really feel like I'm accomplishing anything. Therefore, I will write a short story, 1500-4000 words, and edit it into something I feel fantastic about and submit it somewhere it could potentially get published.

Edit

I will edit one chapter, or at least ten pages, a week of a full novel manuscript I'm editing for a critique partner. It's much more work than I first thought. (Show me your shocked face again!) But, surprisingly, it's also much more fun than I had thought. I love going back and reading it after I've made a whole bunch of little punctuation, spelling, or word order changes and seeing what a wonderful difference it's made, how much more smoothly her words flow and how much more easily it is to understand the wonderful story she is telling. And the best part is that she appreciates it!! I've found that helping others is immensely satisfying, when that person is truly happy with and thankful for your help, of course.

Read

This was my favorite thing to do before I started writing and my biggest inspiration. Now, I almost never do it. I have about 50 books on my reading list and haven't read for fun in forever! Ugh! I love to read! Why am I not doing it more?!? I feel like I should be doing more productive things, like writing, cleaning (yuck!), or (gasp) playing with my children. But I need to make sure to give myself some fun time too. I don't really watch TV, although I do waste WAY too much time on Facebook (I know, another shocker). So, anyway, my goal is to waste less time surfing the 'net, and read, let's say, four fiction novels during this round. That's about one every three weeks and should be doable.

Blog/Check In

I just started my blog about a month or two ago, and I've only made a couple posts so far. For ROW80, I'm supposed to check in twice a week on my blog to share my accomplishments. I don't want to just post an update on my goals, though, cause that just seems a little boring for those (few) people who follow it. So, my goal is to post an entertaining, thought-provoking, book-reviewing, website-suggesting and/or absolutely amazing blog, with a short ROW80 update at the end, every Sunday. This seems a little overzealous for me, and I anticipate having the most trouble fulfilling this goal, but we shall see...

I appreciate any and all feedback!! What is your experience with setting goals? Do you aim high and push through? Or do you set 'em low so you don't fail? Or do you aim high, then fail miserably? Let me know! I can't wait to hear from you guys! Interaction is what this life is all about!

Becca ♥

Currently...

Hey everybody! Just a quick update to let you all know what I've been up to lately. On My Nightstand will be my running commentary on what I'm currently reading. Awesome Blogs, are, you know, blogs that I find awesome.


On My Nightstand: A Ranger's Tale by Mysti Parker


Once upon a time an elven noblewoman longed to leave her gilded cage. A half-breed former pirate wanted nothing more than to escape his guilty past. Easier said than done... 

I've read it through once, for fun, and I really liked the story. Now, I'm reading it again, and taking notes, and will be reviewing it right here soon.


Awesome Blogs: Here some amazing blogs I've come across lately and feel the overwhelming need to share.

TerribleMinds: Chuck Wendig is hilarious. Flat out. I find myself literally rolling in the floor laughing every time I read his blog. The latest one (Transmissions From Baby-Town: "Nine Months") is about his 9-month-old son and is GREAT. I have two babies, 16 months and 3 years, and I could clearly envision every single thing he talks about and I couldn't stop laughing long enough to breathe. Seriously, I think I almost passed out.
He usually blogs advice for writers, and is heavy with the profanity.  So, beware, if that's not your thing. But it fits perfectly with his writing tone and is also hilarious. So, if you don't mind a little constructive cursing and criticism, you should definitely check him out.

Kristin Lamb's Blog:  This is a great place to read about the life and industry of writing. She posts about what's going on in the world of publishing AND why you, the writer, should care. She also posts tips and things every writer should know. Sometimes her posts are about the craft of writing (The Seven Deadly Sins of Prologues) and sometimes they show mistakes other writers make and how to avoid them (Don’t Eat the Butt #3–Persistence Can Look a lot Like Stupid). Lots of great stuff for learning writers, so check it out,  you know, if you're a writer. Otherwise, you probably won't like it much.


Okay, so I hope you guys check out the book and blogs. Let me know what you are reading, and maybe I'll check it out and review it. Let me know what blogs you think are awesome and maybe I'll list them next time. Enjoy!

Becca♥