Here There Be Promises: Writing Goals for Q4 2023

That time of year, again. Sharing more good ol’ goals. And, actually, if you look at the date on this post, it’s a little past that time of year, but the Post Your Goals On Time Police rarely patrol these parts, so we should be safe.

I’m not sure if I’ll continue to post goals in 2024, but I’ll likely continue creating them in the Reminders app. I have thoughts after four quarters of sharing them in this journal, and those thoughts should come early next year here.

For now, let’s take a look at last quarter.

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If you remember, I decided to focus on fewer goals and wholly concentrate on writing. I mostly succeeded, although I chatted with friends and jotted notes about some design projects, but that was about it.

My main goal was to complete the third draft of the LS (formerly TLS) novel manuscript. I did, but I was a little behind the deadline. I landed in mid-September rather than on August 31. I then jumped into the fourth draft, because there were enough spots with new content that I wanted to edit, before shipping the story to beta readers.

I also spent a bit of time sending stories to publications and queries to agents. I usually send one, sometimes two, a week. The amount of time spent researching where to send manuscripts and tailoring queries still surprises me. Maybe there’s a more efficient method, but from what I’ve heard from others, it seems par for the course.

As to my goal of connecting with more writers on social media, that one is in a weird place. Twitter was my go-to, but I’m finding it harder to stumble on posts from writers and other creators I follow. Plus, my posts feel like they’re barely registering with the new X algorithm gods, which is frustrating. Imagine a shrug emoji here.

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For Q4, October, November, and December, expect more of the same from last quarter with slight variations:

• Finish the fourth draft of LS by December 15.

• Send the fourth draft to beta readers by December 31.

• Start a short story or nonfiction piece by December 16.

• Send stories and pitches weekly to new publications and agents.

• Connect with writers on:

  • Twitter / X / Whatever it’s called when you’re reading this.

  • Discord

  • Writing Meetups

• Reassess the social networks I’m interested in using by December 31.

Again, for reference, here’s how the goals look in the iOS Reminders app. I track them there. Some missing from this screenshot are related to personal health and other life goals.

Feel free to share your goals for the quarter, too, if public declarations help you hold yourself accountable.

Happy storytelling.