Tomorrow is the official end of my post-Christmas vacation, and so I’m looking forward to the new year 1. Over break I committed to the modest goal of writing 5000 words in The Darned Conspiracy, which meant I had to have the discipline do sit down and write while Bump was napping each day. By the end of the week I’d managed to scrape out 5800 words 2, which pleased me, and this led me to ponder my writing goals for the new year.
I’m going to set a low bar and commit to writing 2000 words a week in 2021. This doesn’t sound like a lot 3, because it isn’t, but in pandemic-land I feel like I’m “working” all the time, and finding time to both detach from immediate needs and find the mental reserve to pour out a story has been in short supply. Two Thousand words gives me both a target for which to aim, and the mental structure I need to get that time to write into my routine. I’m a creature of habit, so having a rhythm is necessary for me to function well 4. Making this little commitment now should have a wide impact on much of what I do. This also means I might be able to get my blog draft of The Darned Conspiracy finished before Summer, which would be fantastic.
What about you all? Are there any targets, large or small, for which you are aiming in 2021?
- Come quickly, vaccinations. ↩
- It also got me to the point of the story where Bug shows up, so now he’ll get off my back. ↩
- It also doesn’t include my sermons or blog posts. ↩
- I try to have a set rhythm so I can embrace interruptions and riff when crises arise. The rhythm is baseline, and I’ve not had one for months. ↩
Painfully Hopeful 
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with keeping the goals small for now. Until we find the new rhythms of life here, we have to be quick to flexibility. Small word counts allow for that very thing. xxxxx
Yup! Thanks for the affirmation!