1/1/06: Reflections and resolutions
Jan. 1st, 2006 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davidlevineI am disappointed in myself. 2005 was a good year for publications, but a wretched year for production and sales. I wrote only two new stories, one a collaboration, and made only one pro sale. Basically, I took a break after submitting the novel and (for a variety of reasons including being called upon to do some addional novel-related work, but also including my own laziness) never got back on the horse. As a result of this, I currently have only four stories in submission and no sold stories awaiting publication. I fear that I may have sabotaged my career.
So. That's going to change.
My new year's resolution is to write a hundred words a day, no matter what. I know that this is a very achievable goal -- I can write 500 words an hour when I get rolling. The point of the hundred-word goal is to get my butt in the chair and writing, even on days when I "don't feel like it." I'm not making any commitments about what I'm going to write. Could be new stories, could be rewrites on existing stories, could be a new novel. But I'm going to put my butt in my chair and by God write.
I'm off to a good start, with 325 words on a from-the-ground-up rewrite of the Jupiter story (despite not getting back from dinner until 10pm). This story has had near-misses at all the major markets and the consensus of the editors is that it's too distanced; the main character is all reflection and reaction, not action, and the whole story's told in flashback. So I'm rewriting it from scratch, with the same plot outline but a new main character: an engineer instead of a photographer. If I can keep up this pace I should be done in two or three weeks, and that would feel good. Wish me luck!
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You can do it!
Date: 2006-01-02 12:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-02 01:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-02 04:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-02 06:32 am (UTC)I know what you mean about the story production problem. I didn't write any stories this year because all of my writing energy and time was focused on finishing my first novel and starting the second. It's a big risk to move in that direction instead of writing solely stories, which you know you can sell. But you've got an agent and a fine book, and at some point the risk is going to pay off, not just in novel sale (let's hope!) but also in what you've learned about the craft.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-02 07:16 am (UTC)I want to make some sort of resolution for my own writing this year. Either a new-words-written-per-day goal or a number-of-short-stories-written-and-one-novel-edited goal... not sure which to commit to yet.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-02 08:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-02 10:34 am (UTC)Motivation!
Discipline!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-02 10:46 pm (UTC)