2020 Goals

Now Playing: DAY ONE by Hans Zimmer
Just Read: END OF WATCH--Interesting how this series ended up with a supernatural twist. Didn't expect that, considering the first two books were simpler private investigator mysteries. Good stories, though.
Reading Now: THE LAST WISH by Andrzej Sapkowski

So, about my 2020 writing goals . . . .

The gist of it is to keep it up. I would like to read 50 books this year (I reached 48 in 2019), write 5000 new words of fiction per week, and dedicate 5 hours per week to studying writing. I added this last goal because I feel like I've stagnated a bit over the past few years. I've published about 25 short stories, all in semi-pro or token magazines, with one publication in Daily Science Fiction. I have won 12 Honorable Mentions in the Writers of the Future Contest, which people say is like a letter saying I am "almost there." In 2020, I'd like to get "there."

So, to that end, I have a few books on the style and craft of writing that I'm going to work through and see if their bits of advice can help me elevate my game. I might even look into a Master Class. I've already been listening to more podcasts on writing, and I would like to read more short stories, too. I'm also going to try to submit more stories--so far, I've submitted four--and work on writing stories that are shorter. For the past two years or so, most of my stories have been around 10,000 words. Those are harder to sell. In 2020, I'm going to shoot for stories under 7500 words.

That's really it! I want 2020 to be a year of hard work and, hopefully, reap the benefits of that hard work. Let's get to it! Happy New Year everyone, and good luck achieving your own goals!