Looking ahead to 2012

This past year was a good one for my writing. Of the eleven writing goals I set, I kept six of them, which seems on paper like a not-so-stellar percentage but is actually one that I'm very proud of. I did more writing in 2011 than I had in several of the previous years combined, and to me that in itself equals an extremely successful year! One of things I'm most proud of is that I kept my goal to submit some of my work, something that I've always been more than a little hesitant/afraid/nervous to do.

Now once again it's time to set my writing goals for the upcoming year. I have other, non-writing goals as well, things like reducing clutter, becoming better at organizing the house, and exercising daily (ugh!), but here I'll focus only on my hopes for the upcoming writing year.

1. Continue writing my daily 100-words entries. I've been doing these entries for nearly a year and a half, and they've been unbelievably helpful in keeping me focused on writing each day.

2. Continue to submit. As I wrote above, finding the courage to send out my work has been difficult for me, but now that I've crossed that hurdle, I intend to keep running!

3. Take a good look at the projects--several novels and a handful of short stories--I've started but left incomplete these past few years and decide whether to continue them or trunk them.

4. Continue working on my kids' journals. This is a huge writing project in itself. Over the years I've kept records of the things my children have done and said, trying to capture the memories that they probably won't be able to recall on their own. This project is as much for me as it is for them, and I've been enjoying compiling all these bits of their lives and turning them into a cohesive story.

5. Continue posting to this blog. Starting it was one of my resolutions last year, and I'm happy to say that, aside from the time I spent on vacation in August, I've posted entries every day. (The name I gave my blog--The Daily Dose--was a great incentive!)

6. Focus on writing poetry. Poetry could probably be called my first love. After years away from it, I started writing it again a little over a month ago, and I felt (and still feel) like I'd come home.

7. Take part in more writing challenges. There are so many all over the Internet, and many of my blogger friends post prompts each week. Last year I started taking part in a drabble challenge organized by Aheila at The Writeaholic's Blog, and I intend to continue with that one and participate in others.

8. Continue working on my father's memoirs and on my own.

9. Develop my idea about a fictionalized account of my grandmother's youth. This is an idea I've been kicking around for a few months. I'm not sure yet what it is--a novel? a short story? maybe a poem?--but it's something I'd like to explore in 2012.

As I look at my list, I realize that during the year I'll probably come up with other writing goals--I almost always do! For now though, I'm happy with the ones I've posted here, and I'm very eager for 2012 to begin!

What about you? What are your writing goals for 2012?

Almost that time of year

Today's 100 words:

 

Now that Christmas is over--now that the gifts have been unwrapped and life is starting to return to its less hectic, less busy pace--my thoughts start to turn toward the new year and what it holds. In the next few days I will no doubt be writing another list of resolutions--(I prefer to call them goals)--things that I hope to accomplish in 2012. I went through the list I made for 2011 and was happy to discover that while I didn't achieve everything on it, I did meet many of my objectives. I'm hopeful for 2012.