Here There Be Promises: Writing and Design Goals for Q2 2023
The first quarter has come and gone, seemingly as fast as a cobbler elf in the night. So now we’re here, early April, and it’s time to review what I completed and what’s coming next.
You can learn more about my goals process from the January post. The high level is: I enjoy setting myself goals. They hold me accountable, and I hope sharing them inspires others to create, and even share, theirs.
Below you will find my creative ambitions. I am keeping personal and health goals private for now, but I recommend weaving those into yours as well. Like Jack, all work and no play ain’t good for anyone.
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First, a quick recap of the first quarter. I wrapped the second draft of my TLS novel manuscript, sent The Superpowers of Love query to an editor, and sort of connected with some writers via Twitter, Discord, and virtual Writing Meetups. Not too shabby.
But. I didn’t meet all of my goals. I failed to send my edited query to new agents. The edits took longer than expected, and I am okay with this. First impressions are important, and that is exactly what a query is. Plus, my original deadline was unrealistic, as I forgot to factor in the editor’s response times. Currently, I am finalizing a few sentences of the summary, and I am extending my deadline, as seen below.
Also, while I posted more about writing on Twitter, I could have done a better job of having deeper conversations on the platform, as well as on Discord and via Writing Meetups.
Lastly, I didn’t complete my stretch goal in design. I sketched and designed a few logos, but my attempts were halfhearted. Instead of forcing myself to finish and send a design I wasn’t proud of, I let go of the project. This I don’t see as a failure. Saying no can be just as important to saying yes to projects. Quitting the design contest allowed me to focus more on what I cared about. The novel manuscript and the query.
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With that, here are my goals for April, May, and June.
Writing Goals
Write a Journal entry about Central Thematic Argument by April 14.
Send the Superpowers of Love query to agents by April 20.
Finish edits on the query by April 15
Wrap first chapter edits by April 19.
Finish the third draft of the TLS novel manuscript by June 30.
Read and take notes on the second draft of TLS by April 25.
Begin the third draft of TLS by April 26.
Send stories and queries weekly throughout Q2.
Connect with writers on:
Twitter
Discord
Writing Meetups
Design Goals
(Stretch goal) Launch a simple lifestyle brand with a store and one-page website by June 30.
(Stretch goal) Launch the site Newsletter by June 30.
Like Q1, here’s a screenshot of how I use Apple Reminders to track goals.
Drop a comment, tweet, or private message if you have questions, suggestions, or want to share your goals for accountability too.
Happy creating.