This is in some sense a continuation of an earlier thread that Caeli started on December 31, 2016, to discuss our various writerly goals and resolutions and help keep each other accountable. (And there have been similar threads in past years, that I don't want to take the time to dig out of the Archives to link to
)Anyway, this thread is for us to let our fellow Holy Worlders know what we're planning or hoping to accomplish in 2018, so that they can help keep us accountable and making progress as the year goes on, by poking this thread or sending PMs.
(Edit: Lady Elanor has started a thread in General Discussion for resolutions and goals more generally, including not-writing-related ones.)
I'll start us off with my goals for the year that are at least tangentially relevant here
. As in the past several years, I originally posted these on my blog (though the post with non-Shine-Cycle, non-Strategic-Primer ones isn't "scheduled" to go "live" until Saturday).My first several goals have to do with The Invasion, which was one of my two main projects this past year, as I decided to for the first time focus on one story at a time instead of working a little bit on each story and then moving to the next. I recently finished expanding its main outline to the "by scene" level. (My methodological innovation this year was to make time estimates of all my tasks and slot them into a very limited week-by-week time budget to make my goals more reasonable.)
- Finish the "detailed synopsis" that is Step 9 of the "snowflake method."
- Adjust the main outline and all synopses created in the "snowflake method" to all agree.
- Get at least half-way through, or 50,000 words into, my new draft of The Invasion. (With a "stretch goal" to finish it.)
If I finish my draft of The Invasion, I have an additional "stretch goal" to get "snowflake step 4" of The Adventure of the Royal Wedding to at least Step 4.
I also have several goals relating to worldbuilding and not-story-specific character development:
- Write at least ten character biographies or histories
- Create "character loglines" or "motivation summaries" for at least fifteen characters.
- Complete the "race fractalling system" (described in a thread or series of threads now in the Archives here on HW!) for elves.
- Complete the "race fractalling system" for dwarves.
And I want to keep my blog showing some signs of life:
- Post at least twelve Shine Cycle-related posts (not including writing status updates, year-end retrospectives, and the like; including posts already scheduled, but not including new posts scheduled for 2019) to [my] blog. ("Stretch goal": eighteen.)
- Post at least one Shine Cycle-related blog post (with the same restrictions) every month
My other major writing project this past year was my second poetry collection, now titled Dreams and Prayers: Verses from a Wandering Mind. (Which could still use more beta readers
)- Obtain a cover, either by commissioning an artist or designing it myself. (If you're an artist who does covers, I resurrected the "Book Cover Mockups" thread in hopes someone would have an idea )
- Revise and polish (or consider and decide to let stand as is) each and every poem in Dreams and Prayers
- Find at least one suitable illustration for each and every poem in Dreams and Prayers
- Write all necessary prose sections for Dreams and Prayers
- Finish and polish typesetting/layout of Dreams and Prayers on each "platform" on which it will be published.
I also have some goals related to more miscellaneous writing:
- Finish the second and third entries in my planned blog series on the LaTeX typesetting system, on using it for poetry and for recipes, respectively.
- In my series of blank-verse Psalm settings, get through at least Psalm 21 (I'm currently working on Psalm 17)
- "Write" at least 12 posts in my "Hymns" series, highlighting "great, old, hymns."
- Post at least one post in my "Hymns" series every month.
- Write reviews of at least 3 "recently" read books.
- Respond to each letter or email (or HW thread or PM ) that needs a response within three weeks.
- Write keeping-in-touch emails to my short list of particular correspondents on their birthdays and anniversaries and the most important holidays.
- After each trimester, assess progress and note any necessary amendments to goals in a blog post.
And one more goal that's worth mentioning here:
- In my (long-procrastinated) critique pass through Peter's Angel, get through Page 320. (Stretch goal: finish.)
Now it's your turn: what are your goals for 2018, everyone?
