Goals and progress toward them

[merrihiatt]

Old Hack had a wonderful idea about starting a thread to discuss our goals and report back our progress. The "share your success" thread is amazing; however, someone may feel that they can't post there if they have had one sale this month when others report having twenty in one week. So, this thread is to state your goal(s) and then report back with your progress.

Your goal may be to make one sale a week, to post daily on Twitter, send your book to a reviewer or write a certain number of words a day. Whatever it is, share it here and then let us know how it's going.

[merrihiatt]

I'm almost halfway through writing the next book in my Seasons of Love series and want to have the first draft done by June 1st. To reach that goal, I need to write around 3,000 words a day for the rest of May.

[Katallina]

This is a great thread idea! I usually tell my boyfriend how my writing is doing, but I'm sure it drives him half insane since this isn't his passion. Sharing with other writers sounds like a good idea.

Yesterday I revised two chapters of Moon Dance, re-working some scenes, re-writing others and adding three completely new scenes that weren't there in the first draft. Today I am hoping to complete two more: the "Christmas Eve" chapter and the "Christmas" chapter. (I have little headers I use to keep track of where I am; they won't wind up in the final draft).

My long term goal is to have this round of revision done by the middle of June so that I can let a couple betas take a look at it.

In other news, I sent off the details the cover artist I am working with wanted about my book. It's scary to let go of that part of it a little, but it really isn't my area of expertise and right now I'm too busy trying to finish the book to learn it. Now the waiting game begins ... I wonder what she will come up with?

@ Merri: Sounds like your book is going well. 3,000 words is a tough count but not impossible by any stretch. You can do it!

[merrihiatt]

Exciting, Katallina! I know what you mean about other people getting sick of hearing about writing. It means very little when you say you spent X amount of time on one section. They look at you as if to say, "Don't you just whip out pages in a few minutes?"

I write between 1,500 and 5,000 words a day, so 3,000 is definitely workable.

I jumped ahead last night to the fourth book in the series because I got an idea for a song about arthritis. That sounded like a weird sentence, but the main character has rheumatoid arthritis and she's only nineteen. In the story, Spring's friend, Autumn (who is a country singer), makes up the song while they're watching a musical.

[robertbevan]

thanks for starting this thread. i'll post in a couple of hours.

[EngineerTiger]

I think this is a great idea. Currently, my main goal is to get the sixth book in the series ready this summer. I've hit a few bumps in the road so I'm a bit behind but, hopefully, will catch up now that I've got the "pesky" scene drafted.

Have you ever noticed as a writer that there are just some scenes that warble to you like a proud Cardinal papa on a nice spring day while others just sit and sulk in your head? Some of those you can glide past and tackle later or even disregard. Others, like the one that just put up a fight, have to be written since they serve as a linchpin for future narrative.

[robertbevan]

okay. here i am. the reason i'm glad you started this thread is because i've been wanting to get more actively involved in the self-pub subforum, but i haven't self pubbed anything just yet.

with a thread about goals, i feel more comfortable to talk about things while having no firsthand knowledge.

so here goes...

"critical failures" is in its third or forth rewrite (there was some hazy rewriting in between official rewrites), and hopefully its last. i'm hoping to have it polished as shiny as it's going to get within a week or two (probably two), and my cover art guy should be sending me his work around that time as well.

i wrote a book a couple of years ago that i couldn't even be bothered to salvage with a rewrite. looking back on it now, it's an embarrassment. but i'm sure most of us have one or two of those.

the one i'm polishing up now, however... i must have read it a hundred times, and not only am i not sick to death of it, but it still makes me laugh. and one time while reading the end of my last chapter while drunk, i even managed to pull one of my own heartstrings just a bit.

so... i think it's safe to say that in T minus a month (at most), i'll be able to find out if i'm really as entertaining and funny as i think i am, or if i have far too high an opinion of myself and my beta reader has been far too kind. (mind you, that kindness included making me rewrite the whole m**&%&^%%^%&^ing book to change the POV, not to mention murdering more than a few darlings.)

in the meantime, i'm beta-ing for my beta reader, and i'm six pages into the first sequel to "critical failures".

as far as marketing plans go, i'm a member of several rpg forums (my book is about a group of guys who piss off their game master and get sent into the fantasy world... and no, it's not as lame and unoriginal as it sounds), so i should be in a good position to reach most of my target audience. i'm not planning to even mention my book on those forums. i'm just going to have links to my signature, and get actively involved in normal sort of gamer talk. i figure if i make my presence known as an intelligent and active participant in the forums, people will get curious about me, and click on links.

also, i got my brother in law to get me a domain name. so with his help i'll be making my own website. and i'm going to make a facebook author's page (i've figured out how to do that on my own already, but i haven't done it yet, because it feels kind of lame to have an author's page before you have a book out.)

most importantly, i'm keeping realistic expectations. if i sell a couple of books a month in the beginning, i'll be thrilled with each one. and if i get just one fat, pasty-skinned gamer geek to claim himself to be a fan of mine, i'll weep rivers of joy.

i'm all kinds of excited and just a little terrified.

thanks again for starting this thread. the vent was very cathartic.

[Mark Moore]

I admit to having a bit of a lofty goal (I guess), but I am looking at writing long-term.

My immediate goal is getting one story up per week (whether part of "Destined" or "Becoming a Hero").

I also want to start getting "Mech Combat" (working title) up by autumn (it occurs in autumn, so I thought it'd be a nice fit).

Now for the long-term plans (please let me know if I'm insane):

I decided to try to figure out how many copies of each story that I would have to sell per month in order to reach what I would hypothetically earn if I was working full-time (I'm not) at my current job in retail (before taxes).

I eventually started an Excel spreadsheet, listing all stories in each potential series that I come up with - as well as various stand-alone short stories. Each row in the chart has the royalty that I'd earn for each story times the number of copies sold for a monthly total for each individual story. All totals in this column are then totaled for a hypothetical monthly total. There's a formula at the bottom of the spreadsheet that lets me know if I'm above or below my monthly goal, and I adjust the copies needed to be sold accordingly.

Here's how I come up with my figures. Every time that I have an idea for a potential new series (it could be just a simple concept such as "alien invasion" or "bounty hunter" or whatever and not developed at all yet), I figure I can get ten short stories out of it. I add those to the chart - along with two collections of five stories and a complete collection. I've decided to charge $1.49 per short story ($0.52 royalty), $2.99 per five-story collection ($2.09 royalty), and $4.99 per complete collection ($3.49 royalty). Stand-alone short stories are gathered into collections of five as well. I've also figured in "samplers" (five-story collections of the first story in five different series).

So far, I've got enough stories on the chart to bring my monthly selling goals down to one copy of each short story, four copies of each five-story collection, and five copies of each complete collection, and I'm on my way in reducing the copies of five-story collections. It means a lot of writing up ahead (especially once I exhaust my backlog), but I want to set my sales goals as low as possible.

[EngineerTiger]

Robert, we're all in different stages and you are most welcome. Since you are just dipping your toes in, you'll be able to provide some insight for others just starting out. Also, each us has a different perspective. (For example, my experience might not be helpful to someone else where your's may be.)

Mark, I don't think you're insane. Just keep in mind there is a difference between strategy (in this case your ultimate objective of supporting yourself entirely with your writing) and tactics (the small adjustments you'll have to make along the way to achieve that ultimate objective).

One thing you'll need to remember as you move from your current retail job to your self-supporting writer position is that withholding tax, medical, other benefits are no longer determined by an employer. You'll be responsible for all of that yourself so make sure you take that into account in your spreadsheet. Otherwise, you may find yourself out on a limb financially.

Another thing, as you strive to bring out material, don't sacrifice the quality to quantity. You don't want to risk losing hard-won readers by disappointing them with something that doesn't measure up to their expectations of your work.

[AnneGlynn]

Fun post. Thanks!

I work with a writing partner. We also write under our own name but under the Anne Glynn pseudonym, our goal this year is to write and publish one 8-12,000 word novella monthly for six months. We try to post on the first of each month and #4 is finished and good to go for June 1.

Once we've finished all six stories, we'll be able to offer a paperback collection via CreateSpace. Then we'll catch our breath and try to determine if sales, blog visits, etc warrant another six pieces.

[Al Stevens]

One goal at a time per project. My pea brain can't handle more than that.

My WIP goal is to scale a wall I've hit. Five suspects, and I don't know whodunit. I haven't been able to outfit any of them with sufficient motive to bump off five young women. I believe in the believable, and nothing I've come up with can be believed without a huge suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader. So I keep whittling away at subplots until it comes to me.

[merrihiatt]

I loved reading this thread today! I start my day with a 20-minute stationary bike ride and always come to AW to read and catch up while I pedal (iPads are great for that!).

This thread was Old Hack's idea and it was a great one! I look forward to reading about everyone's progress toward their goals. Goals can change, too, so try not to think of it as a "failure" if you need to make adjustments along the way.

I'm rooting for us all!

[merrihiatt]

2,600/3,000 words written today. I still have time to get 400 more words in, but I may just shoot for 3,400 tomorrow. Led to a wonderful moment where Winter and Rory were exchanging ideas about how they'd like to see the other one (Rory is a "rich kid" who has never roasted a marshmallow or played in the dirt. Winter is a female garage mechanic with constant dirt and oil under her fingernails. Rory suggests they go ballroom dancing which would require Winter to wear a dress and heels -- the horror!). ** giggling madly **

[Calle Jay]

Oh boy! Accountability!!!!!

My goals:

Short Term:
Finish "The Warrior's Woman" (paranormal romance in my Dardanos' series) by June 20th. Currently sitting at 5k and will be about 50K (maybe, depends on the story).

Draft the remainder of "WANTING" (romantic suspense in my PAVAD series) by August 1st. Currently sitting at 30k of 85K.

Draft half of another book in the Dardanos series by August 1st. It's currently at 1,500 words of 50,000, so I have a way to go with that.

Revise/edit the finished "Warrior's Woman" by July 1st and "Wanting" by Sept. 1st.

End of 2012 Goals:

Make 'a certain amount' in book sales per month consistently for three consecutive months. As of right now, I've either tripled that amount (definitely not complaining here!) or have missed it by anywhere between $20-$250 per month.

(This is strictly for Amazon sales, and does not include other venues, as those are just 'gravy' for me!)

[robertbevan]

i got four more chapters revised to the point where i think they're ready to go. i got most of a fifth one done, but am debating on some details toward the end of it. i'm going to let it stew for a day and see what i think about it tomorrow.

but i think that makes eleven or twelve chapters ready to go out of a 22 chapter book.

[Old Hack]

I'm not planning on self-publishing the book I'm working on but I hope you won't mind me joining in here: I'm working on the final revision of a book, and hope to get it finished in the next two weeks, family and life permitting. I'll see how I go. Good luck, everyone!

[merrihiatt]

Of course, OH. This thread is for anyone and everyone with a goal, and even those still in the thinking stages of creating a goal.

[Rob Lopez]

I have just two goals at the moment:

1. Get my average wordcount up to 1000 words per day for my WIP.

2. Get at least one review for my other novel before the next free promo in July.

[Steely]

Right now, I am (impatiently) waiting to get a revision back from a critique partner and I've been spending time on AW to try to build up on skills that will help me write.

But when I get my revision back, I hoping to finish it in about a two-ish weeks, which believe me for me, is really fast, and after that, I'll work on my query again, and hopefully get that done in 1-2 weeks.

Wish me luck!

[Justin_AC]

My current goal: Have three novels ready for digital distribution by the end of August of this year.

Progress:

2 novels are totally done and need one more pass with the clean up brush. 1 novel is roughly 33% finished.

I have hired three cover artists two of them are slated to be finished by mid-June, with the third hopefully around mid-late July or early August at the latest.

I have scouted several book blogs to give my books to, and several places to place ads come the end of August. The ads will run immediately, while the books blogs may take anywhere from a few weeks to 6 months to read and review my book(s).

[ohthatmomagain]

I put my first book (a Bible Study) up on smashwords on Sunday expecting *maybe* 10 downloads (it's a Bible study after all). I thought it *might* get 50 over time. I checked this morning and it's already been downloaded 47 times I know that seems little compared to a lot of things on AW, but when you consider that it hasn't had much promotion AND it's a Bible Study (something not for everyone) I'm very happy with it. I'm glad I can tell you all because my husband (while happy) doesn't *get it* (bless him).

For my other goals, finish the first draft of second novel before July 1st (I'm doing Camp Nano in June).

Write a short story for a writing contest.

Keep chugging along with the blogs.

And trying my best to keep the sparkle in my eye and not let the 'rejections' get to me (that was my blog post on today's encourage365 blog...)

Great thread idea.

[Mark Moore]

Originally Posted by EngineerTiger

One thing you'll need to remember as you move from your current retail job to your self-supporting writer position is that withholding tax, medical, other benefits are no longer determined by an employer. You'll be responsible for all of that yourself so make sure you take that into account in your spreadsheet. Otherwise, you may find yourself out on a limb financially.

*nodnod* I don't exactly make note of it in my spreadsheet, but the monetary goal is what I would earn full-time at my current job before taxes or medical or whatever else are taken out (in other words, this is more than I would get in real life at my current job). I fully expect to have to figure out taxes and medical after that.

Originally Posted by EngineerTiger

Another thing, as you strive to bring out material, don't sacrifice the quality to quantity. You don't want to risk losing hard-won readers by disappointing them with something that doesn't measure up to their expectations of your work.

Oh, definitely. I'm not going to just spit something out to make a quick buck. I do take my time with my stories (even in updating the old, unpublished ones before putting them up).

[robertbevan]

Originally Posted by ohthatmomagain

I put my first book (a Bible Study) up on smashwords on Sunday expecting *maybe* 10 downloads (it's a Bible study after all). I thought it *might* get 50 over time. I checked this morning and it's already been downloaded 47 times I know that seems little compared to a lot of things on AW, but when you consider that it hasn't had much promotion AND it's a Bible Study (something not for everyone) I'm very happy with it. I'm glad I can tell you all because my husband (while happy) doesn't *get it* (bless him).

For my other goals, finish the first draft of second novel before July 1st (I'm doing Camp Nano in June).

Write a short story for a writing contest.

Keep chugging along with the blogs.

And trying my best to keep the sparkle in my eye and not let the 'rejections' get to me (that was my blog post on today's encourage365 blog...)

Great thread idea.

what is this bible study book? i mean, was it a novel about people studying bibles? or was it more like "my thoughts about the bible, and how you should study it"?

also... was it a book with a price tag? i mean, that many downloads for a free book must be nice, but if that many people bought your book for actual money in half a week, then that's something i'd like to know about.

i've got an idea in my mind right now "the gospel according to bob" that might be ripe for the writing.

[ohthatmomagain]

Originally Posted by robertbevan

what is this bible study book? i mean, was it a novel about people studying bibles? or was it more like "my thoughts about the bible, and how you should study it"?

also... was it a book with a price tag? i mean, that many downloads for a free book must be nice, but if that many people bought your book for actual money in half a week, then that's something i'd like to know about.

i've got an idea in my mind right now "the gospel according to bob" that might be ripe for the writing.

lol, It's a bible study on the book of Ruth. It's broke down into 5 parts (4 chapters). I wrote it for my Church's women's bible study group. I decided I'd like others to use it if they wanted so I put it on Smashwords for free. Some said I should charge, but it's my first and I really wanted it to just help people who needed/wanted it. I went back and forth on the price, but I didn't feel comfortable charging for something I wanted others to use as a help tool-- A novel?-- yeah, I'd charge

Basically, it's the book of Ruth broken down where we (ie *I*) can understand it. (But not dull)

[robertbevan]

today wasn't one of my more productive days. i changed the ending of chapter 8 in a way that rings truer to the character involved, but takes some of the punch out of it, and leaves the chapter wanting for a good closing line. i'll have to work on that more.

and i also fixed a lot of comma errors (i've got a bad habit of putting commas before dependent clauses and a good beta reader who catches all of them) and various other things, but there's still the aftermath of the fight with the troll to work out. one character got a poison-coated spear in the chest, and another character isn't really reacting strongly enough to that.

if i can get the kids to take a nap at the same time over the weekend, i might be able to work this out then. otherwise, it's going to have to wait until tuesday, as monday is a holiday and i won't be back in the office until tuesday morning. now it's time to... what's it called? that thing that always interferes with my writing... oh yeah, work.