Weekend Writing: My 2018 Writing & Reading Goals

It's the end of another year. It doesn't seem possible, but here we are: turning the calendar for a new year. I reflected on my personal experiences and accomplishments this past year this week, but I'm going to use this time now to establish my 2018 writing and reading goals.

During the year 2017, I published work in literary journals, attended writing conferences, began my career as a working writer after graduation, and established my own digital literary journal, Remington Review. While it was an exciting year for me, I'm looking forward to new writing experiences in 2018.

KJL's 2018 Writing & Reading Goals

1. Drafting New Poems & Stories 

(photo/A Beautiful Mess)

It always seems like when the new year arrives, that is when writers develop a sudden burst of
creative energy. We have new ideas for poems and stories, thus we immediately begin writing. I have no idea what the topics for these works will be, but that's the exciting thing about writing: it's spontaneous. The inspiration comes to us when we least expect and we begin to write.

I look forward to seeing the work I will produce in 2018. Hopefully I'll be able to share my work with you.

2. Reading 50 Books 

(photo/Soviet Hammer)

Yes, I set reading goals. Last year, my goal was to read (meaning from start to finish) 25 books. As of today (December 31, 2017), I met my goal by reading 35 books. I would have gladly read more books last year, but unfortunately, schoolwork always seemed to find a way to get in the way of my "reading for fun" time. Now that I'm out of school, I have more time to read in the evenings, which I absolutely love. Stay tuned for a post in January about which books I'm excited to read this year!


3. No Procrastination! 

(photo/YouTube.com)

Procrastination is a killer for most writers, and I'm no stranger to this writing disease. I don't necessarily have writer's block, but there are some days where a poem or story takes longer to write and my mind wanders somewhere else. I get distracted by a YouTube video I'm watching, or I receive a text message and then start looking at something else on my phone instead of going back to my work.

My goal for 2018 is to stop procrastinating. I want to finish my work from start to finish in one sitting, if possible. I'm not going to get distracted. Turn off the phone and focus.

Here's what I'm going to do to help with procrastination: use a typewriter. I know, I know. You're probably thinking: "A...typewriter?" I own three typewriters because I'm a vintage gal (which shouldn't be a surprise to most readers who follow my blog). With a typewriter, I have no excuse for procrastination. I can't watch a YouTube video. I can't go on Facebook or other websites. I can focus on my writing, therefore that is my goal for 2018--to write my drafts with a typewriter. We'll see how this one goes, and I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress.

4. Submitting, Submitting, Submitting

(photo/Chicago Writers Conference)

I already submit to literary publications, but I want to make sure I continue to do this. As a writer, it's crucial to get my work out there in the real world. As a freelance writer, I will continue to submit my story ideas to various magazines. As a poet, I will continue to submit my work to literary journals. I'm not going to set a number goal for how many submissions I will send out (because that's really hard to determine), but I am going to say this: I am going to submit my work this year and hope for the best.

If you're submitting your work in 2018, good luck!

5. Returning to Old Projects 

(photo/Become a Writer Today)

Finally, my last goal for 2018 is to return to old projects. What do I mean by this? There are a lot of writing projects that I start but don't finish. I start writing so many short stories, but I don't finish them because I get an idea for another story during the middle of the writing process. The original idea is neglected for the new story.

Those poor projects. They must be crying in my writing flash drive. They're probably saying, "Love me! I'm worthy, too!"

I'm going to return to those old projects and finish them this year. I'm going to show them the love they deserve. I want them to know that I haven't completely forgotten about them. I will finish them this year. I promise.

And I hardly ever break promises.

---

Who knows what 2018 will bring, in terms of writing and reading? I might fall in love with a new book that completely captivates me. I might publish new work. I might write an awesome new poem. I might finish that project I never thought I would. I might even beat the writing procrastination disease.

I hope to become an even better writer this year. But, I can't ignore my goals for this blog. I aim to reach more readers and continue to write from my heart. Thank you for reading my blog in 2017. If you're a fellow writer, blogger or reader, set your own goals in 2018.

But, don't just set them; meet those goals. Have the best year possible. You deserve it.

Write on.

-KJL-