Goals

It's Cold, Send Blankets

It doesn’t usually get this cold in Minnesota, but these next two days are not usual. A high of -14 and a low (with windchill) of -60 or -70 (-51.111 or -56.666 degrees Celsius respectively) at night.

To put that in perspective, that’s nearly as cold as the surface of Mars. Okay, nearly might be a stretch (average temperature on Mars is -80), but I think it’s close. Thankfully, I’m able to work from home the next two days and it will give me to time to catch up on some much needed reading, writing, and other school/work obligations.

With the first month of the New Year nearly in the books, it’s a good time to evaluate your progress on your writing goals. Some of you may have set some on New Years. Others may have just set some now. That’s okay. Better late than never!

My goals, as far as writing is concerned, are simple. I only have two:

  1. Write a blog once a month

  2. Write at least one page a month

The last goal stings because it feels so low to me. I want to be writing WAY more, but it might not be possible with my current schedule. The light at the end of the tunnel is nearing though and I will be able to write more in a few months.

To those who feel they are underachieving on their writing goals, just keep going and do your best. It might be a sentence, a paragraph, even a page, but whatever you do, don’t stop pushing toward your goals. Tell your story the way you want to tell it and enjoy the ride!

For those affected by winter’s bitter grip, stay warm and hide under as many blankets as you can find. That’s my plan. Stay safe and see ya next month!

-J.J.

New Year, New Goals, New Everything!

It's New Year's Eve and during this time of year everyone is putting out New Year resolutions. Instead of New Year resolutions, I would rather do goals. So, without further ado, here are my New Year goals.

Sad robot is waiting for the ball to drop...2016 was rough for him.

Sad robot is waiting for the ball to drop...2016 was rough for him.

  1. Blog every Friday: Yep, you heard it here first. As you may know, my blog posts have been weekly, but inconsistent. So, I will be moving them to Friday to accommodate my schedule and start the weekend off right...accompanied by movies, good books, and video games.
  2. Get five short stories published: As you may have seen, I have only released one short story for viewing and I really want to do more. However, publishing them on my website is completely different than getting a story published in a magazine or anthology. I hope to get some of my short stories published in Asimov, Clarkesworld, Analog, or the ultimate long-shot for my romance stories...The New Yorker.
  3. Read more novels...and finish them: I don't read nearly as much as I should. I haven't finished Dune...or Wool...or Game of Thrones...or Mr. Mercedes...or whatever book I plan on buying this weekend.
  4. Attain agent representation for my novel: I have a novel written, edited, beta-read, and edited again. All I need to do is find the right agent. In order to accomplish this goal, I plan on submitting queries to 2-3 agents per week.
  5. Lose Weight: I know I sound like every January member at Fitness Evolution, but I do need to work on it. The weight is packing on too easily and wanting to stick around like the cold death grip of Minnesota's winter. It's time for me to melt a modest 10 pounds of fat through consistent workout and smarter eating.

So, now you know my New Year goals. What are your goals? Leave a comment on what yours are or message me on Twitter. May you all have a great New Year and remember: Don't be like the sad robot above.