In the Mighty Words of King: ROW 80 Goals

I barely know what to do with myself on Wednesdays and Sundays when A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) takes a break. Luckily, it’s time to start again. ROW80 is the “writing challenge that knows you have a life.” But it doesn't mean life gets to be an excuse.

And my apologies… this post is a day late, but for good reason. Yesterday I hosted my fellow ROW80 writer, Elizabeth Ann West, here. She talked about resolutions and gave away copies of her book. If you missed it, check out the post. It’s a tour, so you can still get copies on other stops.

I recently finished reading Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I will post a detailed review soon. For now, I want to share how he influenced me:

Good Writers Read. I’ve always believed this, but King drove home the point. To that end, I have upped my reading goals as defined below.

Write Every Day. King says he writes every day except Christmas and his birthday, but quickly admits the truth. He writes even then. I admire this kind of work ethic. He reminded me that the words may suck, but you have to get them down.

He also convinced me to finally succumb and read one of his books. I received 11/22/63: A Novel for Christmas, so it will be my first King.

I’m also committed to growing my freelance work, both in writing and editing, and writing frequent blog posts here and on my Mom in Love with Fiction blog.

Did I mention I’m a ROW80 sponsor? This is my second sponsor gig in a row. I love it. It’s another way to meet some wonderful writers and learn, learn, learn.

But let’s get to it, the meat of the matter.

MY GOALS

Writing – I will write 500 words minimum daily. Thanks Stephen King and Kait Nolan. This is my “test mile” as Kait so eloquently explained here. If I get 500 words and nothing’s falling into place, I still have 500 words and I tried. I’m hoping for more, but I want to write daily and stick to it, so I’m starting small.

Blogging – Daily here (thanks to BlogHer’sNaBloPoMo and the Ultimate Blog Challenge) and three times a week at Mom inLove with Fiction. This writing will not count toward my 500 goal, but I do think it’s beneficial. I also owe Kait Nolan a ROW80 sponsor post this week!

Reading – I’m committed to more reading, because I know it makes me a better writer. To that end, I have joined the 2012 To BeRead (TBR) Pile Challenge, and I plan to join a couple more before the end of January. I’m still weighing my options, but I’ll be posting updates by Sunday’s check in. Plus, in addition to reviewing for Rebecca’s Reads, I’ll also be a part of the WoMen’s Literary Café Review Team.

Editing – I will edit a minimum of one chapter a day on various projects. I am doing freelance editing, and I need to stay on top of it. I love to edit, but it sometimes hampers my own writing (editing too much instead of letting the words flow). Maybe by focusing daily on editing other people’s work, I’ll shake the need to edit my own… for now.

Exercise – Daily, some form. It’s New Year’s resolution time after all. And sugar, you’ve wormed your way back into my diet… good-bye!

Finally, my ultimate goal… lean in close and don’t tell too many people… we will publish our follow up to Depression Cookies this year. Notice will, not want to. And now that I’ve told you, you’ll keep me honest. Right?

Wishing you all the best on your goals. Let’s kick it in 2012!

Visit the other fine ROW80 participants listed below: