Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Writing Goals

My writing goals are:

1. I want to be published. I want to see my name after an article, column, book etc.
I guess you could say I've accomplished this because the anthology with my story in it is going to be published in September. I also had an article published in our Sunday Gazette a few weeks ago.

2. I want to have one of my children's stories published.
This is my dream and I have not accomplished this yet. I have some PBs that I really feel strong about and a couple of MGs that I love. I'm still editing one of them, though, and the other has been out to a publisher since March and I haven't heard anything from them yet. I need to take time out from writing and submit my PBs. It is so time consuming to look up and find the right publishers that will accept unagented material that I keep putting it off. And you know, nothing will happen to your stories if they are in your computer's hard drive or on your desk. They will only gather dust.

3. I would like to get a personal rejection letter. It may sound funny that my goal is a rejection letter, but I am tired of getting those form letters or notes with not so much as a signature on them. It would be nice to get a personal one with words of encouragement scribbled on it.

4. I would like to be called a writer. Most people don't think of you as a writer unless you have been published and unless you are getting paid for your writing.

5. I understand that in the beginning you may have to write for little or no compensation. That is OK, it will give you the experience you need and it will give you (hopefully) a following and name recognition. But eventually my goal is to get paid for my writing.

It seems like most of my goals center around getting published. But that is my dream. And it would be nice to get paid for it, also. I know I will not get rich from writing, but I would like to make some money.

I have decided that until my children's writing takes off I will also try to do other things, like sending in articles to newspapers and/or magazines. Writing short stories for anthologies, entering contests (which I have already been doing) and any other writing endeavor I can think of.

I have decided that you have to go after what you want. You can't just sit there and expect good things to come to you. You have to get brave (which is hard for me to do) and submit, pitch your ideas and write, write and write. You are not a failure, unless you don't try. If you get rejected or your ideas get put down, you have to get back up and start again.

What are your goals? Have you already met some of your goals?

Do any of you have suggestions on getting your feet wet in the writing world? I'd love to hear your comments and ideas.

11 comments:

  1. So many of your goals are my own, too, Janet! I have yet to be published. And you are so right that it is hard find publishers that take unagented work. They are out there, yes, but you do have to work to find them.

    Like you, I am entering contests. The last one I entered was the ACFW and I did get good critiques and helpful advice. I've got a piece to send out to a contest this week--then it will be wait, wait, wait--probably until January!

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  2. Janet--Great goals. Thanks for sharing. I love the picture linking to my blog, and thanks for mentioning the contest.

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  3. Janet,
    Your writing goals are an inspiration to me. Good luck on your publishing. Sounds as though you are already a professional writer. Thanks for sharing this posting. It gives me moltivation to muster up some energy and work on my creative writing, too. Have a great weekend.

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  4. Good for you, Janet. Set your sights on those goals and never look back. And remember, persistency is the key!

    You seem to be eager to learn and keep your writing skills sharp. There's a great blog you can do that at, if you're interested. Just click on the link below.

    Best of luck with all your writing goals. Keep on keeping on.

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  5. hi there.. nice to meet you.. i'm from indonesia.. hope u visit me back... :))

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  6. Janet,

    My dream was to be a published author and I have accomplished that. I have been published in both online and print venues. I sold articles to online websites for years and though the bottom fell out of that in January because of the recession, I'm still looking for other opportunities.

    I have had my short stories published in a wide variety of anthologies, including Guideposts Sharing the Earth and Comfort from Beyond series. In September, my story will appear in Chicken Soup: What I Learned from the Dog. I have another under consideration from Chicken Soup.

    Don't give up, my friend. I've had only one personal rejection letter in my years of writing. They are few and far between. But never give up. Try and try again.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  7. Hey, Janet! Don't quit!You WILL see something published. I've got an articles in the August issue of an e-zine that might help you. Go to www.kidmagwriter.com , go to the left column and click "In the Beginning" to read my article on writing for kids magazines. It's not profound but has some good info. I wrote another under "My office" but it's not a how-to. Just a story about where I got some inspiration for a story (o;
    Sheryl

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  8. Miss Janet, you ARE a writer, and you WILL get that acceptance call or letter for your children's story. It's a matter of time. Don't ever give up! I belive in you!

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  9. Thanks everyone for all of your comments, I'm hanging in there with the rest of you.

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  10. I love reading and writing. I am a boy just learned how to blog and i have wrote a kid's story in my blog.

    I am inviting you to visit my blog and do leave your comment.

    Thanks!
    Abraham.

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  11. Dear Janet,

    Thanks for your kind visiting. I love your writing. I have more to learn from you.

    I will visit your blog more often.

    Best regards,
    Abraham

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Thank you for your comments. I love comments!