Writing goals

[KillerMuffin]

Do you have any?

If so, what are they? How did you form them? Why did you? Do you think they're important to have? Do they stretch beyond Lit or are they just Lit-based (and/or other story archival site based)?

Do you have any advice about forming goals?

 

[Monazwx]

Monitor the goals by making a deadline and sticking to it.
That's all I got.

 

[NorthwestRain]

My goal at this stage is to develop my writing into a form and style I am happy with. From there, I would like to try my hand at a novel or two.
I'm still unsure if my goal is to make money to write, or write to make money. I think at this stage it would be whichever came first.
Either way, I plan to spend many hours passing like minutes wrapped in my own imagination.
What about you KM?

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

I write to get the story outta my head.

After that my goal is to make it readable.

Readable to me is that the reader is interested in the characters, has an intrest in what happens to them, and that finds their problems and solutions plausable and yet exciting. (I.E., an emotional response that has nothing to do with their distaste in my terriable spelling).

My further goal is to get darn good at it AND brave enough to try to break into print. Lit is a step in that direction.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I have a few writing goals.

1. To write a first person story where "I" is not the protagonist or the antagonist.

2. To finish my current book. New York Times Bestseller, bay-beeeee. I have until December. Again.

3. PhD in English. Long way to go.

4. To master the art of transition.

5. Learn to edit my stories before I submit them to Lit. It's weird cause I've got a good editing regime for every place else I submit.

6. 2500 creative words a week. My schedule is too crammed to expect more.

7. Actually learn what a participle is. No particular reason. I just never studied.

8. Go to Ek Balaam. I have a book idea set there and I and I want to see it first. Learn enough Mayan to actually write the book, too.

9. Take one sociology class per semester during college. It really helps with my writing.

At current, that covers it.

I think they're important because they give you something to mark progress. As humans, we generally like to see ourselves moving forward, progressing, improving, getting better in whatever we do. If we don't give ourselves a yardstick that's accomplishable, then how will we tell if we're doing that?

I suppose some people don't need goals. I know a lot here write to de-stress, share their sexuality, or just as a hobby. Heck, I consider writing for Lit my hobby. The doc said to get one, so, well, I did.

I've pretty much reached Lit Nirvana already, there's really no place else for me to go here.

For making goals, I think people should make them reachable. There should be both short term and long term ones there. Short term for me is the 2500 a week thing. Mid-term is finishing the book and mastering transition. Long-term is getting a PhD I'll never get around to using because I like pretty documents on my walls.

 

[TheEarl]

To win something on Lit

To get paid for writing something

To finally (started it 5 months ago, estimated time to completion 5 years) finish my novel

To gain respect for my writing


The Earl

 

[Quiet_Cool]

To make a living out of it, as it is my only true passion, the only thing I know I can offer the world. Given the fact that I write extremely slow, and haven't been published yet, save for here, which really doesn't count for much (I love the site, but anyone can get a story posted here), and that I'm already 25 years old (26 in July), things aren't looking good.

 

[Sabledrake]

1. Always have at least 6 things "out" -- short story submissions, agent queries, book proposals, etc.

2. 8,000 words a week.

3. Obtain the coveted mass-market paperback contract (more a dream than a goal, but hey, a girl can hope, can't she?).

Sabledrake

 

[Svenskaflicka]

These are my goals:

1. Make it to the Top Three for this year's Literotica Survivor Contest.
2. Finish my book about feminism in the new Millenium.
3. Get one of my novels published in RL.
   [/list=1]
   
   And these are my dreams:
   
   1. Win this year's Literotica Survivor Contest.
   2. Go to a Writers' Course - it really inspires me. Stories run out of me like diarrhoea (or however that's spelled).
   3. Write a serie of books that will be as great and popular as Harry Potter.
      [/list=1]

 

[indigo sky]

hmmm goals

Well as far as Lit goes...I have only 2 specific ones and the other is very broad.
I finally started submitting and writing for this site thanks to the ass-kicking of a certain someone, who shall remain nameless I had wanted to submit for awhile but was busy pursuing my main focus, which is writing music. Now I've found that writing erotica helps my composition ability a great deal. I'm really story oriented and my writing for Lit (the stories not the poetry...in which I've always just spewed rhythmically whatever is on my mind at the moment) really makes me examine how stories are built, how themes presented and revisted throughout.

Here are the writing goals for this year:

Goals for Lit:
1. Nominated for best Lesbian story for 2003
2. Nominated (and win ) for best Audio Story for 2003
3. Improve my Overall Storytelling ability

Goals for Music:
1. Make a kickass demo.
2. Score at least 1 Movie this year.
3. Get paid for writing music for something this year.

 

[indigo sky]

Write a serie of books that will be as great and popular as Harry Potter.

oh...please do, we can't have enough of these!!!
*sigh* I know I'm gonna finish book 5 in like a day and a half, and be chomping at the bit for book 6 by June 22nd.

 

[wildsweetone]

Do you have any?

If so, what are they? How did you form them? Why did you? Do you think they're important to have? Do they stretch beyond Lit or are they just Lit-based (and/or other story archival site based)?

Do you have any advice about forming goals?

Writing Goals.

Do you have any?
Yes.

If so, what are they?
To respect and improve my own writing through learning and being openminded.
To find the niche that fits my own style best.
To gain respect for my writing, including respect from my family (the most difficult critics).
Submission of a short story to the Commonwealth competition.
I intend writing a fiction novel based on historical events in New Zealand.

How did you form them?
By learning what I feel most comfortable with in my life. I have a need to let my creativity out. I decided that for the moment the best way of doing that is by writing. It was a logical next step to improve on myself.

Why did you (form them) and Do you think they're important to have?
I'm not easy to live with if I don't have some kind of goal to aim for in my life. It gives me a reason for being around, a purpose to going through hell and still being around after it.


Do they stretch beyond Lit or are they just Lit-based (and/or other story archival site based)?
Yes my goals stretch beyond Lit. For me, Litland is a stepping stone. At the moment it's a place to come and chill out, a place to learn, a place to share thoughts and ideas with like-minded people. I don't have that elsewhere in my day to day life. However, already I've discovered that my writing is taking me to places that simply are beyond Lit. I have much more to write about. I feel I've gone through stages in my writing and it's simply that writing non-Literoticalike stories is merely the next step in my growth. I believe it's a good thing.


Do you have any advice about forming goals?
Interesting question this one KM. It took me a long time to form my own. A long time to become comfortable with who and what I am. I think that my advice would be these things:

-be openminded,
-experiment with everything you can,
-read lots and in many areas not just your own interest,
-see if you have stickability, see if your interest in writing has endurance,

then...
Look ahead, decide what you'd like to do, decide what you want to do.
Set very simple and easily achievable short term goals,
If you have some success with those goals then it is time to look to the future.
Choose one ultimate goal, then set as many smaller ones as you feel comfortable with that are steps to achieving that ultimate goal.

Great thread KM, you gave me much to think about. Thank you.

wso

 

[Svenskaflicka]

oh...please do, we can't have enough of these!!!
*sigh* I know I'm gonna finish book 5 in like a day and a half, and be chomping at the bit for book 6 by June 22nd.

That makes 2 of us.

 

[kiwiwolf]

To make serious money from my writing while still enjoying the process and end result of writing.