My Writing Goals for 2019

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Happy New Year, Friends!

At last, I have reached a new milestone in my dream of becoming a published novelist. This year, I hope to ink a publishing contract for The Forgotten Fathers Club!! 2019 promises to be an exciting year for my creative writing, and I've got the goals to prove it :-)

My Writing Goals for 2019 | Dany Chan

My Writing Goals for 2019

This year, I plan to:

  • complete draft #3 of The Forgotten Fathers Club 

    • DUE: Jan 1 - Mar 31, 2019

  • get a publishing deal for The Forgotten Fathers Club

    • DUE: Apr 1 - Dec 31, 2019

  • complete draft #2 of The Gaerden

    • DUE: Apr 1 - Dec 31, 2019

  • get (1) writing grant or fellowship

    • DUE: Dec 31, 2019

 

Of course, the steps to landing a publishing contract are many and very much based on luck. Here's how this goal typically breaks down:

  1. prioritize my list of literary agents

  2. research each agent's submission requirements

  3. draft a query letter tailored to each agent

  4. draft a book synopsis

  5. polish the first (50) pages of The Forgotten Fathers Club until it shines

  6. email my queries to each agent

  7. sit and wait for the rejections (I'm aiming for 100 rejections)

  8. (hallelujah) I land an agent!!

  9. complete draft #4 of The Forgotten Fathers Club

  10. my agent pitches and shops the novel to publishers

  11. sit and wait for more rejections

  12. (hallelujah) a publisher buys my novel!!

 

Whew.

The sheer number of steps for this goal, at first, seemed overwhelming to me. But, having each necessary step laid out like this actually defeats that overwhelm - I now have a sense of the challenges ahead, and I have a plan to complete each step in the necessary order. And I do have a timeline for when I would like each step to be completed, all the while knowing that the "sit and wait for rejections" periods are variable and totally out of my control. Yet, with a plan, I can simply shift the timeline accordingly. But with any luck, I may get a book deal by the end of the year.

Let’s chat!

What new ambitions await you this year?

How I Plan to Rock My Writing Life This Year

in

Happy New Year!


I want to begin this new year with you by sharing some goals for my writing practice. I love beginnings, so I started planning these new goals since last fall (I admit it: I'm a planner nerd). If 2017 was a good year, then 2018 is intended to be a great one :-)

How I Plan to Rock My Writing Life This Year | Dany Chan

How I Plan to Rock My Writing Life This Year

5 Easy Steps to Set Goals

But, before I list out my writing goals, I first want to describe my simple 5-step process for setting goals, just in case you need a little help in determining your own goals and resolutions. I have found this particular process to be effective for me, so I hope that it will be useful for you as well.

The five steps are as follows:

  1. Do a brain dump of every goal or idea that you can think of.
  2. Select the most important and/or the most exciting goal to you now (no more than five).
  3. Break down each goal into actionable tasks.
  4. Set a deadline for each task.
  5. Schedule each task in your calendar or planner.

My 2018 Writing Goals

  • Goal #1: revise The Forgotten Fathers Club (DUE: Jan - June 2018)

  • Goal #2: maintain my author platform (DUE: all year)

  • Goal #3: hire an editor and polish The Forgotten Fathers Club (DUE: July - Dec 2018)

  • Goal #4: research and compile list of literary agents (DUE: July - Dec 2018)

  • Goal #5: research: how to submit query letters (DUE: Dec 2018)

Let's chat!

What are your goals for 2018?

How do you keep yourself accountable?