.jpg)
‘They’ tell you that writers should set targets/goals for
themselves but I’ll start by saying that I don’t usually set them.
I’m aware that many writers decide on word-count or
page-count goals - it might be 500 or it might be 1,000 words a day, or it
might be a certain number of pages, or a chapter per week, etc.
What, I wonder, happens when they don’t achieve their goal?
Do they feel guilty or frustrated? Do they feel pressured to achieve that magic
number of words or pages? Is their writing dictated by the goal rather than by
what they’re actually writing? In other words, does the goal become more
important than the story? And, maybe the most important point, are they
concentrating more on quantity than on quality?
Writing 5,000 words a day means you could complete a 75,000
word novel in 15 days. Even 1,000 words a day would complete it in just over a
couple of months. Nice idea! But I can’t work like that. Although I took part
in NaNoWri Mo a few years ago and completed the ‘goal’ of 50,000 words in a
month, I was very aware of how the quality of my writing deteriorated. That
story needed about 6 months of re-writing and editing before it was ready for
submission.
At the moment, I am revising/polishing/editing my WIP. I
started on November 1st and decided I would try to complete one chapter a day.
Already I have ‘failed’. It’s November 11th and I’m still on Chapter 8.
But have I really ‘failed’? Okay, I’ve not met my
self-imposed target, but I think my overall goal is more important – which is to
write the best story I can. Maybe that’s not a ‘measurable’ goal as such -
except I think I CAN measure it. I’m my own worst critic. I know when I’ve
achieved what I want to achieve, whether it's an emotional experience, a
build-up of suspense/tension, or simply a word picture of a scene. I know, too,
when something doesn’t ring true and then I work at it until I’m satisfied with
it. Sometimes I can write 1,000 words in a day; sometimes I’ll agonise over
just 50 words. Last night, I struggled for over 3 hours to rewrite the start of
a chapter, all 193 words of it!
I once read: For a
writer, ‘that’ll do’ is not an option. Maybe my goal is never to say
‘That’ll do.’
I’ll be interested to hear of the goals you set for
yourself.
Sadly, I've not set a goal that I've been able to meet. Work, family, health, volunteering seem to intervene. I keep plugging away, though. That's the best I can do.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, that's all most of us can do, Ana!
ReplyDeleteI know for me, I set a "goal" to write each day. Because I like a target (and pretty numbers), I try for 1,000 words. But I don't always make it. I write until I get to a point where I'm comfortable stopping. Sometimes it's because pulling out any words is difficult. Other times it's because I've reached the end of a scene or a chapter or a section and I need to think more before I move on. If I make 1,000 words, yay me. If not, I honestly don't worry about it. But just by setting that goal, it keeps me disciplined and focused.
ReplyDeleteI don't have all the different commitments you, Ana and Debra have, so I can manage to write every day and usually do. Now it has simply become a habit, but I don't set myself any word target. The number of words I write each day can vary enormously depending on the scene I'm writing.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same as Paula in that I don't set myself a word target. I write what I am capable of writing. My problem is I constantly revise as I go along, and then again at the end of each chapter. I hadn't used to do this and I don't know why I've changed, because I still revise again at the end of the book. I guess I'm making more work for myself.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I knew we were alike, because that is exactly what I do. However many times I tell myself I will revise thoroughly once I get to the end of the first draft, I still revise as I go along!
DeleteWhen I sat down to write my Christmas story for my holiday series, instead of calling it a 'goal' to get it done by the submission deadline, I called it an 'attempt'. I wrote every day that I could and I kept a running total of words. I didn't set a specific number for each day. Just seeing those totals move each time I wrote was inspiring. In the end, I was successful in my attempt. The book was actually released last week.
ReplyDeleteFor whatever reason, just using a different phrase/name for what I was trying to do made me much more productive. And since I wasn't setting a specific point to reach each time, I didn't have that 'failure' feeling.
I love your idea of an attempt rather than a goal, Debra - and congrats on succeeding - and on your latest release. too. Yay!
Delete