Wed 7 Dec 2005
It’s high time I threw out some concrete goals for my writing career.
| Years from Today | Date | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (give or take) | 1.1.2007 | Earn 50% income by writing |
| 2 | 1.1.2008 | Full-time writer |
| 5 | 1.1.2011 | Complete first novel |
| 10 | 1.1.2016 | Publish first novel |
| 20 | 1.1.2026 | Full-time novelist |
It’s a start. Some may be too ambitious, others may be too far off. I’m a procrastinator; trying to think about anything 20 years off is like trying to think in Hebrew. I picked 2008 to start writing full-time because I began my software career in the first week of 1998. Ten years as a programmer is long enough.
Maybe I’ll find out I’d rather write punditry than fiction. Maybe I’ll decide to be an editor-in-chief instead of a novelist. We’ll see.
I put these into GTDMail as projects, and will track my daily activities in terms of whether they move me toward these goals. Any task that brings a goal closer will get labeled with that goal.
It’s been said that your chance of achieving a goal goes up to 60% when you tell someone else about it. I just told a few people. I’ll try to keep you posted. If I can pick a particular time to report back, apparently I’ll hit 95%. So I’ll come up with some sort of regular schedule to post on my progress.
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okay — now i’m just over-posting. a writer who is procrastinating. a writer who is so interested in potential secrets of another writer that i’m willing to forgo my writing to read about your impending writing. clearly there are deadlines looming. why else would i be seeking a reason to stray from the short story at hand? cheers for putting your goals out there. i have found that putting my writing goals out there — to complete strangers — has had more power over me than when i tell friends who’ve heard the same malarkey and broken promises for years. the power of strangers — who know what your goals are. its rather confining, but in a good way. you now must live up to the standards you have set for yourself because other people who don’t know you will hold you accountable. isn’t it grand? has a nice symmetry with everything else you’ve been posting as of late (minus the parking garage of course), don’t you think? i both envy you and am inspired by you. thank you, i think. i will consider posting writing goals as well…maybe in a font colour that cannot be read by site visitors.
I don’t think you’re overposting. It’s good to know someone’s reading me somewhat regularly.
> you now must live up to the standards you have set for yourself because other people who don’t know you will hold you accountable.
I’ll gladly be accountable to anyone who’s still reading this in 20 years.
> i will consider posting writing goals as well…maybe in a font colour that cannot be read by site visitors.
Why didn’t I think of that?
Have you read my first few posts?
My writing career has been relegated to web logging and grocery lists.
I’m here from Michele’s. Nice to meet you. Expect an occasional visit.