My Goals

Today I thought I would revisit the goals and deadlines I have set out for myself.  This isn't a new topic by any means.  I've discussed my goals on here more times than I care to count.  Unfortunately, I have yet to be able to actually finish a goal.  Somehow I always end up behind on every deadline I set for myself.

I've always wondered why I could do nano so well, but my own goals seem to be pushed to the wayside and never seems to happen.

It could be because nano is a deadline that's been set out by another person.  Rather than just the arbitrary goals I come up with in my head.  I have something that tells me how far I am to my goal, something that reminds me how long I have to complete the goal.  It's something I can't change, because it's not a goal that I came up with.

So, I've come up with some more goals for myself, and I'm hoping that I won't flake out on them like I normally do.  I'm going to really try hard not to.

The Goals:

Finish editing to chapter 20 of Pandora by Friday August 17th.  This dead line has obviously already passed, and sadly I have no accomplished it yet.  I'm working on chapter 14 right now, so I'm actually not even close.  Which means that I'm going to have to push back all of my deadlines for Pandora.  I'm going to have a tentative goal of finishing the second draft by the end of September, and ready for submissions by the end of January.

Finish planning Aliens Stole My Socks by the end of August.  I'm actually on track for this one.  I've broken it down into steps, and set goals for those steps.  The next part I'm working on is a point by point outline for it.  After which will come character bibles (of which I have about six or seven) and then a full plot.  I think I can keep on track for this one.  I kind of need to, because I have two more books to plan out before the beginning of November, and I only have two more months to do it.

Which brings me to my next two goals, which I'm going to lump together.  Finish the planning for the last two novels I will be writing in November. I'm giving each novel (one about a world were air is a valuable commodity, and the other about a Phoenix.) a single month.


At this point I'm not sure if I'll be able to get it all done.  I hope I can, but I definitely can't guarantee it.  There's a lot of work to do.  Each of the novels I'm writing in November is a new project, which means that new worlds need to be explored.  I can't put them off too long.  I'd have to start planning each new novel on the first day of each month.

Plus, I really can't put off Pandora, because there's no reason to continue writing new projects if I never get my work out there.  I actually need to finish a book, all the way through to a final draft.  I can't just sit on it anymore.  I want people to read my work, which means that I need to send it out into the world.  I can't continue to constantly work on new projects.

So I'm going to commit myself to these goals.  I may not make them all, but I'm going to damn well try my best.  If I don't succeed, at least I'll know that I did everything I could.