The Journal: On Goals vs. Dreams, a Preface

In today’s Journal

* Quotes of the Day
* On Goals vs. Dreams, a Preface
* A good-enough day
* The Numbers

Quotes of the Day

“I’ve never quite understood why, when someone doesn’t like you for whatever reason, they don’t just leave you the hell alone.” Wes Crowley, laughing and shaking his head

On Goals vs. Dreams, a Preface

Soon I’ll be writing a post on setting goals for 2021. I’ll address my own goals and hope the post will help as you set yours.

In the meantime, Terry Odell’s post (linked to in todays “Of Interest”) has a bit to say about that as well.

In that post, she lists three “resolutions” that won’t work:

* I resolve to be a best-selling author.
* I resolve to write three novels this year.
* I resolve to make $100,000 selling my e-books.

She writes that these resolutions won’t work because they’re dreams.

Then she goes on to explain (correctly) that dreams are “things over which you have no control, because they depend on other people.”

In my opinion, she’s two-thirds right. But I’ll pose the question to you: How does a writer NOT have control over how many novels he or she will write in a year?

I can’t imagine a scenario in which the number of words I write per any given time period or the number of finished publications I write in any given time period is a “dream,” i.e., subject to the whims or demands of “other people.” Even if you suffer life rolls and decide to not write for awhile, that’s still a decision you make, one that is within your control.

So in my own life, I’ll move the number of novels I plan to write to the Goals category. I didn’t leave a comment on the OP, though I started to for the benefit of other readers. But I couldn’t write anything there that wouldn’t sound argumentative. Plus, chances are it would do no good. Perhaps here, it will.

I had a good-enough day yesterday. I expect the novel probably will wrap sometime in the next few days.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “Oh, the Questions! by Virginia McCullough” at http://heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com/2020/12/oh-questions-by-virginia-mccullough.html. Thanks to Sam T for the link.

See “Dreams, Goals, and a Gift” at https://killzoneblog.com/2020/12/dreams-goals-and-a-gift.html.

See “Bookshop.org: meet the man taking on Amazon” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/bookshop-org-meet-the-man-taking-on-amazon/. Check out PG’s take.

See “The Nine Worst Provisions in Your Publishing Contract – Part 2” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/the-nine-worst-provisions-in-your-publishing-contract-part-2/.

See “Rock-Stars Selling Publishing Rights” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/rock-stars-selling-publishing-rights/. Again, see PG’s very short take.

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………………… 420 words

Writing of The Journey Home: Part 2 (novel)

Day 1…… 4955 words. Total words to date…… 4955
Day 2…… 5068 words. Total words to date…… 10023
Day 3…… 6513 words. Total words to date…… 16536
Day 4…… 7467 words. Total words to date…… 24003
Sigh. Closed without saving after Day 4…… 19000
Day 5…… 0792 words. Total words to date…… 19792 (cycling)
Day 6…… 6788 words. Total words to date…… 26580
Day 7…… 3242 words. Total words to date…… 29822
Day 8…… 3342 words. Total words to date…… 33164
Day 9…… 7614 words. Total words to date…… 40778
Day 10… 4264 words. Total words to date…… 45042

Total fiction words for December……… 40022
Total fiction words for the year………… 492553
Total nonfiction words for December… 5700
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 190910
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 683463

Calendar Year 2020 Novels to Date…………………… 7
Calendar Year 2020 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2020 Short Stories to Date… 13
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 52
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 214
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31