Goal Making
So, I did really, really well today. I had about 10,000 words left in my 'goal' for this year (I want 200,000 words in the book by 31 Dec) when I sat down. Now, I'm looking at about 2,800 to get that. I wrote over 7,000 words in the book today, which is an unbelievable amount of productivity. Not only that, but the stuff that I put in felt like I'll keep it, for the most part. Obviously, there will be some things that will have to be changed (I'm not looking forward to the editing of this behemoth, I'll be honest), but, for the most part, what happens in this chapter has to stay. It's really powerful (I think), and I really like it.
Before I hit the topic, I just want to document what I did today: I put in a flashback of Calistar (who, despite the fact he isn't the 'main character' in my mind, has the most flashbacks of all the protagonists, clocking in at 15 as of right now, and needing at least two more before his back story is fully fleshed out) as well as an interlude with Arik, a character I cooked up a while ago because I needed a way of showing other people in the world who weren't as important to follow, but still had essential parts to add to the plot. The flashback, I think, really advances the story and sets up a lot of the irony that I'm hoping will come about by the end, though Arik's contribution felt a little superfluous. Part of his addition was for word count reasons; part of it was to foreshadow a little, too, about the villain of the story and maybe try to cast a bit of light on him. The big thing, however, was an extremely large chapter with Nicomachus, finishing with over 4,500 words in it (about 10 pages on a word processor). This is significant, because it means that I don't have to write a flashback for this particular chapter (55). I don't mind adding flashbacks, but sometimes I stick those (or interludes) in just to beef up the chapter as a whole. It's padding, but only a little. I'm always proud of myself when I can get a 'full' chapter without having to rely on the flashbacks.
Anyway, the reason I'm titling this log 'Goal Making' is because I have found myself willing to submit and focus harder because of these arbitrary goals. Back on the mission, I was always irritated by the goal-centric themes that revolved around other people (number of investigators at church, number of baptisms, contacts, first discussions, and so on). I couldn't control them, I couldn't control...well, much at all, now that I think about it. So I thought goal-making was a bit of a con.
But now I'm in (almost) full control of not only my goals but also how I go about doing them. I have slammed down over 45,000 words since the end of July, which is no small feat for a very, very part-time writer. My goal is going to be attained a full month before I originally had hoped. All of this is remarkable for me, as it makes me feel as though the progress that I'm showing is trackable. I don't know if this makes sense to others, but just the fact that I can show how much I've done--that it's quantifiable in some way--really makes a difference to me. It's not just me slaving away on the keyboard for some story that few will read, doing it for my own enjoyment. It's trying to shape that so that I can practice, I guess, for a full-time writing gig, if it ever were to come my way.
I guess that's what the point of talking about goals is; if I can use those to create the necessary structure I need in order to succeed at writing, then I've put in place a useful pillar of being a professional. Showing that I can reach these deadlines and goals that I've chosen--and, therefore, have no real power over me except that it's a preference I've opted to obey--proves that I can operate with something looming over me. If this were a deadline for a rough draft, I'd be well on my way.
Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, reading too deeply into the (still unobtained) success of the goal. But, if nothing else, it is a much more tangible result of all my hard work. And that, in and of itself, is pretty rewarding.
So, I did really, really well today. I had about 10,000 words left in my 'goal' for this year (I want 200,000 words in the book by 31 Dec) when I sat down. Now, I'm looking at about 2,800 to get that. I wrote over 7,000 words in the book today, which is an unbelievable amount of productivity. Not only that, but the stuff that I put in felt like I'll keep it, for the most part. Obviously, there will be some things that will have to be changed (I'm not looking forward to the editing of this behemoth, I'll be honest), but, for the most part, what happens in this chapter has to stay. It's really powerful (I think), and I really like it.
Before I hit the topic, I just want to document what I did today: I put in a flashback of Calistar (who, despite the fact he isn't the 'main character' in my mind, has the most flashbacks of all the protagonists, clocking in at 15 as of right now, and needing at least two more before his back story is fully fleshed out) as well as an interlude with Arik, a character I cooked up a while ago because I needed a way of showing other people in the world who weren't as important to follow, but still had essential parts to add to the plot. The flashback, I think, really advances the story and sets up a lot of the irony that I'm hoping will come about by the end, though Arik's contribution felt a little superfluous. Part of his addition was for word count reasons; part of it was to foreshadow a little, too, about the villain of the story and maybe try to cast a bit of light on him. The big thing, however, was an extremely large chapter with Nicomachus, finishing with over 4,500 words in it (about 10 pages on a word processor). This is significant, because it means that I don't have to write a flashback for this particular chapter (55). I don't mind adding flashbacks, but sometimes I stick those (or interludes) in just to beef up the chapter as a whole. It's padding, but only a little. I'm always proud of myself when I can get a 'full' chapter without having to rely on the flashbacks.
Anyway, the reason I'm titling this log 'Goal Making' is because I have found myself willing to submit and focus harder because of these arbitrary goals. Back on the mission, I was always irritated by the goal-centric themes that revolved around other people (number of investigators at church, number of baptisms, contacts, first discussions, and so on). I couldn't control them, I couldn't control...well, much at all, now that I think about it. So I thought goal-making was a bit of a con.
But now I'm in (almost) full control of not only my goals but also how I go about doing them. I have slammed down over 45,000 words since the end of July, which is no small feat for a very, very part-time writer. My goal is going to be attained a full month before I originally had hoped. All of this is remarkable for me, as it makes me feel as though the progress that I'm showing is trackable. I don't know if this makes sense to others, but just the fact that I can show how much I've done--that it's quantifiable in some way--really makes a difference to me. It's not just me slaving away on the keyboard for some story that few will read, doing it for my own enjoyment. It's trying to shape that so that I can practice, I guess, for a full-time writing gig, if it ever were to come my way.
I guess that's what the point of talking about goals is; if I can use those to create the necessary structure I need in order to succeed at writing, then I've put in place a useful pillar of being a professional. Showing that I can reach these deadlines and goals that I've chosen--and, therefore, have no real power over me except that it's a preference I've opted to obey--proves that I can operate with something looming over me. If this were a deadline for a rough draft, I'd be well on my way.
Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, reading too deeply into the (still unobtained) success of the goal. But, if nothing else, it is a much more tangible result of all my hard work. And that, in and of itself, is pretty rewarding.
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