Evicting "Eventually"

I've come to a realization. It's something that's been prodding me for a while, but I only today decided enough was enough. I'm ashamed it took me this long.

I'm tired of sitting on a stack of half-finished novels and saying I'll get around to fixing and finishing them some day. I'm sick of being unpublished, only occasionally sending out a single short story and then sitting on it for months, waffling over what to do after it's rejected. I'm done with bolting through NaNo and then barely touching the project I've worked so hard on.

I'm ready to actually do something. I'm ready to move forward, to really move forward and not just pretend I am by starting another manuscript I'm probably not going to finish. I'm ready to have things DONE.

So I've written it all down. All the things I need to do, the things I'm going to do. Every story I need to finish, plot, or replot. Everything I've been putting off for "eventually." I'm writing them down with dates between now and the end of 2015, and I am going to hold myself to those dates. That's my goal. If I can pull it off, I'll have five novels with "The end" on them and a small collection of short stories that tie in together.

I'm done with "Someday." "Eventually" is getting evicted, and "Now" is moving in. And I figure, if I made a thread here about it, publicize it to everyone on this forum I admire and respect, maybe I'll actually hold myself to it.

Goal 1: Finish the next step of all four short stories for the Aces collection by Dec 31st, 2014. Two to finish editing, two to finish writing and edit. - Completed 12/31/14

Goal 2: Write and edit this year's SSSFFSS by Feb 14th, 2015. - Completed 2/15/15

Goal 3: Plot and write the main story Goal 1's shorts tie in to. Plotting by Feb 28th, written by May 31st.

Goal 4: Finally finish the edits on my one complete novel by June 30th.

Goal 5: Replot and finish three of my five incomplete novels by Dec 31st, 2015.

So that's it, summed up. My next year and change in writing. I want 2015 to be the year I get my first agent rejection. Or maybe my first agent. Maybe I'll go the self-publishing route and get my first sales, who knows? But I have to have things done first. Wish me luck? And if I don't update, feel free to bring out the cattle prod.

Thank you, guys. Right now, the hardest part is getting the Inner Procrastinator under control. "I'm soooo busy. Just wait until things slow down." "I'm siiiick. How can I write when I don't feeeel good?" They're BS excuses I need to toss out the window, but my procrastinator's gripping the doorframe with all her might. I have to stop letting myself get away with that. Hard habit to break, but it's gotta go.

Goal 1: due today, Dec 31st, 2014. I was supposed to have more time to work on this, but the holidays happened. Surprise visits happened, and planned ones lasted longer than anticipated. I was supposed to have ten days to work on this. I had two.

Two was all I needed. Goal 1: Complete. I may have written 2200 words today to finish a barely started short story, but I did it! And it feels really good. I may not like the story when I reread it later, but it's done. They're all done. Four short stories clocking in at just under 11,000 words. My first collection.

Well, I was one day off, but goal #2 is done. I would have had it finished on the 14th, but as I was about to send the story off, I decided to add a few more details. All in all, one day late isn't bad. During the writing period, I had my best writing day ever with 4000 words, so I feel I can afford myself one day without kicking myself for being behind.

The problem now is, I've got a second story rapping on my skull and asking to take the place of the story I had planned for goal #3. Do I stick to my original plan, or do I write the story that is meekly asking to come into existence?

SWest said:

Do both!



Or, you know, jot down an outline for New story and press on with your schedule...

Click to expand...

I'll probably try outlining both and see which one comes together better. Either way, I end up with two outlines and at least one novel to write.

Wow, I didn't update this all year? Where were you guys? I told you to bring the cattle prods.

Well, bad me in general. For goal #3, I decided to write the other story than the one I planned. I got it partway done, realized I was on the wrong track and needed to add a whole other POV, and dropped it, 30k and unfinished, another half-completed book on the pile. Having failed there, I let Goal #4 slip by without a glance because I've since realized that the trilogy it belongs to is more likely one large book, therefore it's not complete. "Why bother?" said my inner failure imp. Come November, I thought I had no chance at #5.

I just wrote "The End" on my third novel this year, the one I started in #3. I made myself finish two novels during NaNoWriMo instead of writing something new. I finished one after deleting 10k I already had. The second one, I had an epiphany.

I realized it didn't have to be perfect the first time.

It just had to be finished. Plot holes and extra scenes and POVs could be added later, but I had to finish it. So I did. And just now, I finished the third one without making myself go back and add the second POV first. Because it's okay to write The End when there's still stuff that needs to be fixed. Failure Imp is starting the new year locked up tight. I have three finished novels, half a dozen short stories, and a Christmas Duotrope subscription. 2016, I've coming for you, and I have a handful of editable manuscripts with me!

2016 goals:
Goal 1: Write and edit this year's SSSFFSS by 2/29/2016
Goal 2: Edit at least 1 of the completed novels to submission ready by 6/1/2016
Goal 3: Edit the other two completed novels one draft by 8/1/2016
Goal 4: Submit or self-publish at least 1 short story a month.
Goal 5: Submit Goal #2 to agents.

Maybe something new will worm its way in there somewhere as well, for Camp NaNo or otherwise, but for now, those're my goals for the coming year. I made 2015 the year I shortened my incomplete stack. 2016 is going to be the year I get a "yes." I hope. Either that or a loooot of nos.