In late October, I set myself a writing goal of 12,000 words, which is certainly more than I had written in quite some time before that. As November has marched on, I have chipped away dependably. Setting this goal really had an impact on my volume.
We’re entering the final week of term, and the flurry of essays to grade and reports to write has worn me down. The students are also abuzz with Christmas plans–who is going home and who is staying on campus for the break. As the health and travel situations continue to fluctuate, it seems we won’t know until perhaps departure day.
In this wild month, I’ve kept up with my writing goal by continuing to wake an hour earlier than I would otherwise. That’s been so good from a writing perspective, although I recognize that it has had an impact on my sleep. Other routines, namely my exercise that had been going strong since summer, have fallen away in the last weeks. Not the writing, and I know that shows how much it means to me.
Setting a goal greatly reduced the time I spent on researching and planning, these necessary elements of the process, but often too the vehicle of procrastination. In fact, I found myself pantsing significantly more during this month, and ultimately, I’m pleased. I know that the material I have cranked out will need a lot of work, but having it there in front of me, I feel more ready for the parts to come.
Having at least a rough outline of my plot was really important, however. I found that when, this most recent Wednesday, I reached the end of my planned narrative, I have not been able to meaningfully keep going. I have some major decisions I need to make in plot before I can progress.
Last night, my husband and I celebrated Thanksgiving with our first ever roast turkey. We followed my mom’s stuffing recipe, and I made gravy from the drippings. It was all delicious, and I feel thankful. Tomorrow will be turkey soup.
November isn’t done quite yet, so we’ll see what these last couple of writing days bring. Either way, maybe a December writing goal wouldn’t be such a bad thing either, especially with time away from work.
Are you an adherent of the monthly writing goal? What kind of goal-setting has been most helpful for you? Have you found any negative aspects to setting a writing goal? I would love to hear your experiences as I contemplate my own next steps.
Thanks for stopping by, and best wishes,
Jimmy
Words like trees 