Weekend Writing: My 2019 Reading & Writing Goals
I anticipate a similar pattern in 2019. I hope to publish more writing in various literary publications, grow as a freelance writer with more clients, attend more book signings and readings, and read more engaging novels. There are always new adventures in reading and writing, and I'm ready for whatever is about to happen.
KJL's 2019 Reading & Writing Goals
1. Draft New Poems & Stories
I had this goal last year and I'm sorry to report that I wasn't very successful. I didn't write as many poems and short stories as I had hoped. Yes, I wrote some new poems. Yes, I published some poems in literary journals. That's victorious in of itself, but I want to write more poems. I'm a writer; therefore, I should be writing all the time. I should dedicate time, even if it's just one hour, to draft and write new poems and short stories.
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| (photo/Rochford on Demand) |
I'm going to establish a goal to budget my time this year. I will focus on completing my freelance assignments during the work day and spend my evenings working on drafting new poems and short stories. Hopefully, this new system will work. We'll see what happens!
2. Finish Writing My Poetry Chapbook
I have been writing and working on a poetry chapbook for over a year now. It's been a slow process, perhaps because I have been procrastinating and working on other projects. But this year is going to be different. I'm going to finish drafting all of the poems for the chapbook (which I already have the title for it, but it's a secret). I'm going to begin the revising, rewriting, and editing process. I'm going to focus on this chapbook project--because these poems deserve my full attention.
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| Poetry chapbooks (photo/Poetry Society of America). |
Now, it's going to take some time before I fully finish the poetry chapbook. The revising, rewriting, and editing process will take a great deal of time to complete. I'm not going to complete the chapbook this year, but I'll be one step closer. I'll have all of the poems written, which is half the battle.
3. Read 30 Books
Last year, I made the mistake of establishing a reading goal I couldn't complete. I thought I could easily read 50 books, which would be about a book per week. That's not realistic, considering my busy schedule. Instead, I'm going to establish a more realistic goal: read 30 books.
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| (photo/Web Ascender) |
Reading has always been important to me, as I have expressed on this blog. Reading allows me to escape reality and connect with characters, who often become more like friends. I received new books for Christmas and I'm so excited to begin reading them. This includes Heather Morris's The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Josie Silver's One Day in December, Lydia Netzer's How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky, and many others.
I'll be sure to provide in-depth book reviews this year, so maybe you'll be inspired to read these books, as well.
4. Attend a Writing Conference
I love attending writing conferences. During my undergraduate education, I attended several writing and literary conferences, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities to interact with fellow writers and literary fans. I attended panel discussions and workshops, where I learned about a new concept I could apply to my own writing.
I think writing conferences are wonderful opportunities for writers to interact with each other, discuss their projects, and feel inspired. From my experience, I left conferences feeling re-energized about my writing. I had new ideas and I had a sudden burst of creativity.
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| A writing conference (photo/Publishing...and Other Forms of Insanity). |
Hopefully, I'll be able to attend a writing conference this year. If I do, I'll be sure to write all about the adventure. Fingers crossed!
5. Minimize Distractions
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| (photo/Pinterest) |
Last year, one of my goals was to avoid procrastination. Unfortunately, procrastination is bound to happen. I think everyone struggles with procrastination. So, instead of establishing a goal to avoid procrastination, I'll instead say I'm going to try to minimize my distractions.
I'm going to put my phone away while I write and read. I can get easily distracted on my phone--scrolling through social media, watching a YouTube video, or checking my email. This is a big distraction. So, instead of looking at my phone, I'm going to put it away. I'm going to ignore the notifications and focus on my writing and reading. It's okay to "unplug" from reality for an hour to focus on your work, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.
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Who knows what 2019 will bring, in terms of writing and reading? I might fall in love with a new book that completely captivates all of my senses. I might publish new work. Perhaps I will attend a writing conference that inspires me in more ways than I can imagine. Maybe I'll meet another author. You never know what's going to happen.
But just like life, writing and reading have their own adventures. Let's not just set goals, let's chase them. Let's shoot for the stars. Let's have the best year possible.
We deserve it.
-KJL-
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