Writing goals

Thanks for the support, but I am going to stop reporting at this time to focus on other things.

Update: Sun., Feb. 12, 2012

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month. (Yes. I wrote a draft about hiking.)
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work. (Yes.)
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week. (No.)
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week. (No.)
• Continue to walk at least  10,000 steps a day. (Yes.)

Update: Sun, Feb. 5, 2012

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month. (Yes! I published a story about kittens.)
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work. (Yes.)
• Write a Small Stone each day in January. (Yes. I finished the month.)
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week. (Yes.)
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week. (No. Again.)
• Continue to walk at least  10,000 steps a day. (Yes.)

Update: Sun., Jan. 29, 2012

Today is my first blogoversary! I made pretty good progress on my goals this week.

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month. (Yes! I wrote a draft about opening a fortune cookie that had no fortune.)
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work. (No.)
• Write a Small Stone each day in January. (Yes. I have found this to be difficult to do each day, but I like the heightened awareness I’ve felt when I describe one small moment.)
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week. (Yes, and I completed a small freelance writing job.)
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week. (No. I have to get back to this!)
• Continue to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. (Yes.)

Update: Sun., Jan. 22, 2012

I didn’t make great progress this week.

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month. (Yes! I published a scene about singing in a bar a long, long time ago; I wrote a draft about climbing a cliff in Ireland.)
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work. (No.)
• Write a Small Stone each day in January. (Yes.)
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week. (No, but I got a small job from my previous week’s efforts.)
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week. (No.)
• Continue to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. (Yes.)

Update: Sun., Jan. 15, 2012

Two weeks in, I met most but not all of my goals for this week. I am excited about a new blog hop I started called “Three Lies.”  Can you spot my three lies? Bloggers, you can link up a post in which you hide three lies of your own.

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month. (Yes! I wrote a draft about riding in a tuk-tuk.)
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work. (No. I still need to develop an idea for a longer work to work on.)
• Write a Small Stone each day in January. (Sort of; I fell behind and then caught up.)
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week. (Yes.)
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week. (Yes; I cleared a huge amount of clutter from my desk, and I did some basement bin organizing. I finally put away the Christmas decorations too.)
• Continue to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. (Yes.)

Update: Sun., Jan. 8, 2012

I am excited to have met my goals for the first week. Thanks for the support!

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month. (Yes! I published “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies in Cages with Tigers.” I invite other writers to link up a story about an animal or a time you were criticized for a choice you made as a parent or a member of another relationship. I also wrote a draft about drinking Scotch with Normal Mailer–the sketchiest of drafts, actually. I am a little concerned that I will run out of stories to share twice a month.)
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work. (Sort of–I don’t have a longer work yet, but I did some brainstorming.)
• Write a Small Stone each day in January. (I kept up with writing a small stone each day, but I only liked how one of the new ones came out):
  “On the couch, my leg draped over my husband’s, he watches the game, the announcer explaining why the play was incomplete; my son, earphones in, lets out an occasional chuckle as he sprawls on another couch and watches Dr. Who on his Christmas iPad; my other son talks too loudly in the other room on Skype about Warcraft; I read a long book I must finish soon for book club; I smile, a moment of peace, all apart and yet all together too.”
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week. (Yes.)
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week. (Yes.)
• Continue to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. (Yes.)

Update: Wed., Jan. 4, 2012

This is my first check-in and my first time participating in ROW 80. I am enjoying meeting writers who are participating. It’s been slow going on my goals so far, but I tend to get a lot done on the weekends.

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month. (Not yet.)
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work. (Not yet.)
• Write a Small Stone each day in January. (Yes, I have done this each day so far. I am finding it challenging to write a “small stone,” a vivid description of a small moment. The ones I have written so far are below this update.)
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week. (Not yet.)
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week. (Yes, I worked on getting rid of some old, huge photo albums that I never look at anymore and take up a lot of space. I am ending up saving most of the photos in envelopes, but it’s a start. Does everybody find it hard to throw out photos, even repetitive ones that aren’t so good?)
• Continue to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. (Yes.)

Small stones:

• Jan. 4. My chilled hands greedily encase the large mug. I anticipate the warm, bitter taste of the hot coffee and the lift I will soon feel as it surges through me. Its darkness complements its rich aroma. I stare at the screen, peck at the keyboard, plan for my day, the cup my constant companion in the early morning loneliness.
• Jan. 3. The first day back to school after a long break: Slumped over the keyboard and staring into space, a boy is roused by his teacher’s sharp tone, and he moans, “Huh?” He looks around, lids heavy, whispers to a friend, sighs. He gets back to work amid the buzzes and hums of the machines.
• Jan. 2. I look for life in the barren cold, a pale yellow Frisbee forgotten in the leaves of coffee, mahogany, chocolate. A chain saw’s bite removes the last of the storm’s mangled limbs. Just the fresh green of pachysandra peeks through the decay. The cold of the stone bench seeps in and hurries me on my way.
• Jan. 1. 3,2,1… The moment arrives, cheers and noisemakers jarring the senses. A kiss, a hug, a little longer and tighter than usual. Smiles flash around the room. The tickling bubbles of champagne bring in another year.

Goals: January 2, 2012

One of my goals for this year is to write more and let my writing take some new directions. I am excited to join ROW 80, A Round of Words in 80 Days, which lets writers post goals, report on their progress, and support each other as they do so.

• Write at least one “Scene from a Memoir” draft a week, and publish a scene twice a month.
• Work at least one hour a week on writing a longer work.
• Write a Small Stone each day in January.
• Apply for a freelance writing job at least once a week.
• Organize or de-clutter for at least two hours a week.
• Continue to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.

I think I will be posting my updates on this post, rather than making a new post for each update.

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