Reader Rayna

So as I won NaNoWriMo 2016, and still have yet to finish that novel I was working on, I wanted to talk about my writing goals for 2017. As a writer I think I can relate to a lot of people when I say I start a lot of projects but never finish them. On top of that I continue to get more ideas for stories I’d like to write, it’s just a matter of time when it comes down to writing them.

I have a few goals that I 100% want to attain in the upcoming year, though, because I want to see myself progress and accomplish something so awesome that I never thought I’d be able to before: potentially be published.

Now that’s not my only goal (it’s a primary goal, but not my only one), so let me talk about the goals that I have for the upcoming year:

1. Finish writing a story and EDIT IT. Seriously. I have yet to go through a first round of edits in anything I’ve written lately, so I want to be able to finish writing a story then go back through and edit the heck out of it.

2. Start a new story idea (and finish it), but also don’t give up on it. I have a bunch of ideas running through my head (that I should write down because I keep forgetting what they are, hahaha) and I don’t want to give up on them. Life can become so… easy. I can be so complacent with how things are, and I don’t want that. I want to challenge myself, to finish writing, to not give up on a story just because of how it’s going. I know it’s going to suck in the first draft. I just have to keep pushing through to the end.

3. Do more outlining! I know I’ve said before that I hate outlining, but since discovering this past NaNoWriMo how helpful it actually was for my story I discovered that it’s soooo beneficial for it! It’s more of a guideline rather than something strict that I need to follow, but I want to do more of it.

4. Start to seek out agents. Yup, I’m going to actually do this this year. I’m going to challenge myself to do so. If I don’t, I’m just going to keep pushing it off, over and over, and I don’t want to do that to myself. I would love to be a traditional published author, and I’m not going to get there without seeking out an agent first.

5. Have fun with it. Writing isn’t easy, folks. Some people think it’s a breeze, but honestly, it’s hard work. Coming up with multiple characters with different personalities, lifestyles, families, ethnicities, orientations, emotions, etc, is very complex in and of itself, let alone creating a world or a plot. But you know, despite dragging my feet a lot of the time, I really do have fun writing. I love seeing where my characters take me and where I can bring the story. It’s so amazing to see the progress over time.

6. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo again! I have so much fun participating in both events with other people around the world and I think it’s just a great way to really cheer on others going down the same path as you.

So there we have it, some simple goals that I think will really benefit me in the long run and will definitely be achievable in the upcoming year.

Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦

What are some of your writing goals for 2017? Have you already finished a novel and you’re in the searching for an agent process? Any tips? Tell me all the things!