Writing Goals for 2023

[sirhugs]

For me, 2022 was such a disaster that almost anything would be an improvement, including in my writing.
so I am setting the bar low- just to keep writing.

 

[PennameWombat]

I only managed five stories in 2022, so I hope to improve that. Related is to enter all of the Special Contests except April Fool‘s… I just can’t get into that one. Should an idea unexpectedly come to me, I’d consider it above and beyond.

In this vein, I want to finally move forward with at least a couple of stalled series. Of course, those need to be in addition to any contest entries… thus, more output.

I’m not overly fussed about hitting more Categories, although I want to add BDSM and possibly Toys.

Outside of Literotica, I have a few things I’d like to get done.

 

[Norway_1705]

Answer to first post.
Personally I don't suggest "write something in each category" because many of us don't have enough knowledge in everything. I cannot write a good Gay tale because I don't know nothing and I dislike to search (I respect the lifestyle but I cannot write about it). Write just for "collectionism" sounds wrong per se.
I don't search "more numbers". Be "popular" means be mainstream. Vanilla forever? They are more than us! I search few and sincere readers. And, sorry in advance, Greek philosophy advice you "never give up the control of your happiness to another" (Seneca, De Brevitate Vitae). Sorry, numbers may be a mousetrap.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Since I have retired, I focus less on goals and more on inspiration. In my writing and other life pursuits, I am fortunate to be free to go and do as I please, when I please.

That being said, I will be jazzed once I get 22 more followers and hit the 1000 milestone, but I have set no deadline to accomplish that. I will likely try to challenge myself more by venturing into other writing categories, but that too will depend upon what inspires me.

My biggest challenge is getting inspired to write shorter stories that would allow me to post more frequently. My past inspirations have been rather epic in scale, which resulted in longer tales requiring much more time and research. I might shoot to write for more of the contests next year to see if that is what it takes.

 

[djrip]

The books don't have much humor,

You know on my read through earlier this year I found a fair number of bits that gave me a chuckle. Galadriel giving Celeborn a verbal smackdown. Gollum's just so sarcastic sometimes, too. Aragorn listening for distant riders with his ear on the ground, followed by legolas all like there are 137 of them and one guy's pretty tall.

 

[gordo12]

My productivity here last year was bad; I only published 1 story. Part of this is because so much of what I'm writing no l longer fits into Lit. Aside from that, I produced 3 books for the market and have 9 more queued behind. One of them is up to 4 chapters 50k words. I've found that released books need a marketing period behind them so I can't release all those at once. It's slow going.

Naturally, I'm looking to improve my writing skills. Stories I used to write in a few days are now months or even year-long efforts. Putting them away and waiting for inspiration to strike and improve sections of them.

Due to a health incident back in Oct, I've only written a few paragraphs since. I hope to start 2023 with a surge.

 

[MyBareTorso]

This is sort of a follow up to Lovecraft's thread for assessing your writing in 2022. What are your goals for writing, here at Lit and elsewhere, if applicable, for 2023?

I am NOT going to set overly ambitious goals for 2023 in terms of production of stories. I tend to fall far short of those goals and it gets discouraging. These goals seem realistic:

1. I'm going to try to write, on average, at least one full short story (or full short story-sized chapter) per month. That's just an average, not a rigid schedule. This is a goal I have achieved before and almost achieved last year, so it's not unreasonable, especially because I already have a stock of 38 or more partly written stories that I can finish.

2. I have some personal numerical goals I want to achieve in terms of followers and views. It doesn't matter what they are since nobody knows what they really mean, but they mean something to me as markers of progress relative to where I am now.

3. I'd like to publish in at least two new categories.

4. I want to finish and publish my Halloween story once and for all.

5. I want to finish and publish my Valentine's story once and for all.

6. Most importantly, I want to feel by the end of the year that my writing has improved: better prose style; crisper story telling; deeper and more plausible characterization.

7. I want to finish a movie screenplay I've been working on within the first quarter of 2023.

Cool thread! I aim to drop a story (of varying lengths...no goals or rules there) roughly every two weeks. My current big goal is to gradually (no time frame) write a story in every Literotica category, all featuring my recurring MC of idealized Aussie hunk Matt, who I utilise to enjoy my chosen kink of CFNM. I've had great fun with some new categories already, and I'm looking forward to trying out more, though some do make me a little nervous!

 

[Rustyoznail]

Goals
Goals
Goals...

When I started submitting, I had this grand idea of putting up a new story every couple of months. I mean, the first one came together so easily. How hard can it be???

Yeah, nah. That didn't happen. I'll keep writing when I can, and post when it's ready. Categories? Wherever the story goes.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Yeah, nah. That didn't happen. I'll keep writing when I can, and post when it's ready. Categories? Wherever the story goes.

Quiz Simon. He's good on the forward plans, as evidenced by this thread...

 

[Blind_Justice]

Easy:

Get a story together for Geek Pride Day. Everything else is a bonus.

 

[K.A. Ryde]

Self-publish my (non erotica) book. Might only be a few months away given I've only got 3 pages left to cover in the final draft.

 

[holliday1960]

Goals for 2023? At this point, I'm still shooting to get the short-stack of 2022 Christmas cards finished and posted! (You gotta be kidding me!) Do you think I still have time to achieve that? My realistic goals for the coming year are to keep breathing and keep others around me breathing for another year. (Maybe I'll get around to writing about that adventure at some future date.) Beyond that, if I get even a minute of time to myself, I'll devote it to reading and commenting on a novel I promised to read for someone back in October. (I haven't given up entirely on it yet, but the prospects are looking dismal at this point.) Good luck on your goals, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

 

[Northstar4695]

I would like to publish an average of once a month and enter at least one contest.

 

[dmallord]

The goal for 2023 is - Write a well-crafted story and have my favorite editor send it back ... without an error noted. Or perhaps with a note that says, "Well, done, my faithful and learned Jedi Padawan."

 

[lovecraft68]

2023 Needs and I mean NEEDS to get back to my horror series. I've been stuck on book for well over a year and so disgusted I told myself in June I wouldn't go near it again until after New Years other than jotting down a few thoughts if they came to me.

As for Lit, nothing special, I'll enter a contest or two maybe drop an additional story but I have no real goals left here

 

[ofbuttons]

1. Get that H! I just started with a few short chapters of a story up, and another series (with a little more substance, I hope) on the way. Both got lowballed immediately before settling around 4.2, so I'm hoping that stories with more care and longer chapters will do better.

I achieved this one for the first time! My earlier chapters slowly climbed in rating over the past two weeks and one slid up to a 4.5. (I also got my first extremely negative/abusive feedback on a different story [and I deleted it because it was just insulting] so lots of firsts for the end of the year, lol.)

I replace this goal with: get a SECOND red H.

 

[AdriaRook]

To pick up a pen again... Craft more poetry... outline and pursue a longer published piece...

It's been decades since I've crafted and performed. It's time to return to the spoken and written word.

 

[Winter_Fare]

To stop nit picking what I've written and submit some stuff! So I can move on to knew ideas.

 

[MrPixel]

I have but one goal, to have my characters in the big story ride into the sunset. The whole fantasy world is so fun and satisfying to me I don't want to let it go.

My wife is thinking I should self-publish the series on real paper. My style has matured quite a bit in 2022, so if I were to consider doing so, the first, oh, 20,000 words or so will need a rewrite. Not sure if I'm up to that.

 

[PeytonMirabelle]

Goals strictly for Lit? Given our planned home renovations and my non-erotic publishing schedule this year, if I can get six stories posted here , I'll call that a win.

 

[Ian_Snow]

More series. They're my best received works. I'm also trying to focus more on collections this year, preferably with themes that might actually get readers' attention. Hah.

 

[Duleigh]

1. Finish We're a Wonderful Wife before April. I hate finishing long works, it's like saying goodbye to a lover
2. Now that I'm getting better at editing, going back through We're a Wonderful Wife re-editing everything and correcting the formatting errors that Laurel and Manu caused and fix them
3. Start posting "Our Year" the source for WaWW and Stormwatch
4. Move A New Green Man out of the fan fiction realm and publish it
5. Ease up! Since April I've posted nearly 3/4 of a million words.
6. NO MORE CONTESTS maybe

 

[GrantBricksly]

Ok, Day 1 of the year has come, and so far I am doing well for my goals. I just submitted my first story for the year, intended as just a story for the month. I've got a plan for the Valentines Contest. (Plus, I have a 60k word story for the Winter Contest at the end of the year, ALREADY finished!)

 

[OtterlyMindblowing]

My goals are… ambitious, but I’m well on my way to keeping them.

1) Publish at least a chapter here of SOMETHING every week. I presently have these queued through May, so it seems likely to be possible.

2) Revise and edit Becoming Monsters: In The Mirror Book One for publication, even if only a PDF. I have the rough draft done at ~170k words, working on it. Might happen in the summer if I can get betas/editors and a cover.

3) Improve my high-water mark for NaNoWriMo. I did 78k this past November, my bucket list includes posting a 100k month eventually.

4) Maintain or improve my writing quality. This is the important one to me. Right now I have 10 chapters published, and though some hopscotch the line I have straight H ratings most days. Never go below 4.4 is my hard line.

5) Boost my Patreon/KoFi/etc. My ideal is to be able to support the family on this, I don’t enjoy having a non-creative day job. I know this is not realistic any time soon (currently at a whopping four patrons), but it’s a goal.

6) Never, EVER, make this hobby a stressor. My writing is for fun, I write because I love it. I don’t ever want to come to hate it.

 

[OtterlyMindblowing]

… of course, as soon as I call that shot, I publish a furry story to Non Erotic and it tanks to 3.5 instantly.