SETTING PROJECT GOALS FOR 2015..........By Gail L. Jenner

Okay, so it's now 2015......

Weren't we just "getting ready for Y2K?"  Every year since 2000, my husband and I have looked at each other and remarked on how quickly the years have gone by. And now it's another new year: WOW!

Of course, talking about New Year's goals is inevitable. With every January, we hear about what others have set as their project goals: perhaps to lose weight or find a new job or get that clothes closet or attic cleaned up and out, yada yada.....

BUT, for writers, the goal-setting process seems to take on a whole new level of importance...good grief, writing a 250 page novel doesn't just "happen" for most of us. Even plotting or developing a good storyline is about PLANNING.....

Clearly then, setting goals, or objectives, are a necessary part of the writing process, right? But do they have to be carved in stone? Does that work for every writer?  If only....

It certainly doesn't work well for me.

At the same time, those long range plans are always "out there!" And they may be pie in the sky, but they are part of the drive or motivation needed behind clicking those keys and digging through stores of research material to find just that unique detail or storyline....

Ideally, writers ought to limit the number of goals or project ideas they pursue....however......

I'm guilty of taking the "shotgun" approach in developing writing projects. I seem to have a natural inclination to try my hand at everything, or at least dabble in more than one genre at a time.  Is that wise? I used to think it was foolish; even now I admire those single-minded writers who work diligently on one project until it's well-honed and ready for publication.

However, I've also come to know myself well enough to recognize that I am not a linear writer. It would be nice if I started with project A, went to B, then finished with C. Unfortunately, I might start with project A -- clearly motivated and focused -- then suddenly deviate and jump over to C, D, or even E before returning to # B!

Anyone else find themselves jumping into a variety of projects in the course of any given year? 

In the last few years, I've given myself permission to accept/work on a variety of things all at the same time, including smaller projects (ie: essays, short stories) and a number of larger projects (ie: novel/book/script). And if I try to deny myself the luxury -- or folly -- of working on multiple projects during the same time span I often get stymied and end up producing less in the long run.

Thus I have learned to accept my rather unorthodox methodology even while developing a strategy and long-range plan for myself. I've come to accept that my lifestyle (ranching, teaching, babysitting grandkids, gardening, etc.) frequently keeps me from maintaining a rigorous and predictable writing schedule, and I'm "okay" with that. I don't beat myself up if I don't write, ie: 4 hours a day, everyday.

I've given myself permission to paint outside the lines by accepting my individual limitations and peculiarities. So what do my goals/objectives look like? How do I identify what it is I will achieve this year?

My approach is fairly simple:

1. I keep a calendar and I monitor my time by making use of the odd hours where I can work quietly on my more serious projects. I also make use of the more random hours where I squeeze in work that is easier to finish.

2. I identify/enumerate deadlines for myself. Some are imposed deadlines, eg: the three monthly historical essays I write for Jefferson Public Radio/NPR; the blog I write for Prairie Rose each month; and the historical article I write for the regional publication Jefferson Backroads every month. Others are for deadlines I seek out, eg: for short story contests or anthologies (like the PRP collections). A few are merely exercises in writing that I suspect or hope will be fleshed out sometime in the future. These often become my project goals for the future.

3. I collect and file notes and thoughts for the various nonfiction projects I am planning to pitch sometime in the future. I don't labor over these things, but keep them close at hand.

4. I write in the wee morning hours and sometimes in the midnight hours on bigger projects so that I'm less likely to be interrupted. Maybe I don't zip through them, but I keep moving forward. And when I can't concentrate as much as I'd like, I start with revisions or some specific research questions, then wend my way back into my story. In this way, I don't waste time staring at the blank page!


So, how do we establish our individual writing goals for 2015? How do we isolate those things that seem to be coming to the surface? I suppose some writers find it easier to develop a strong master plan with goals 1, 2, or 3 all spelled out and posted to the wall.

However, my over-riding motivation to write and my unquenchable love of writing have more sway in the evolution of my yearly goals than a constructed or rigid list of goals.

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Gail L. Jenner is the author of two novels, including ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS,   WINNER of the WILLA Literary Award from Women Writing the West, recently re-released by Prairie Rose Publications.

She has coauthored five nonfiction regional histories, and has contributed to a number of anthologies, including Prairie Rose's LASSOING A BRIDE, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, and the upcoming Valentine's anthology, COWBOY KISSES. Her work has been published in numerous women's and Christian publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, Everyday With Rachel Ray, Country Woman, Range, Parenting Teenagers, Living with Teens, Keys for Kids, Decision, and more. Her second novel, BLACK BART: THE POET BANDIT, placed in the Jack London Novel Contest.