Meet Eren! (And other writing goals)
(Photo by Melissa Kummerow | Chequamegon Bay | 2021)
Let’s start with January.
January’s goal…
Finish Kossio’s 2nd Draft.
January goal met?
YES!
I wish I could say that meeting my goals was just natural for me. “Yeah, I just set goals and meet them. That’s what writers do. We just sit down and get things done.”
But no.
There was a major factor that came into play this last month: my friend Alex (check out https://www.worldsavail.com/ ) came up with a wonderful idea for us to try executing: weekly writing check-ins. The intention is to keep each other accountable to our writing goals. And it has definitely helped me.
Here’s a little peek into the last couple weeks:
So yeah. I made my January goal! (Which won’t show up on my weekly goal card until this coming week).
I am proud of myself. I’m making visible progress with this thing.
What a relief.
Time for February…
And now we are coming up to February.
The Main Goal I’ve set is:
Overhaul most of Eren’s POV
Have you met Eren in the Moodboard Post? (Other characters are over there, too.)
But otherwise, here’s a taste:
February’s Goal is not a hardline goal like January’s. It’s a little “looser.”
But part of taking my goals seriously is managing my expectations.
With Kossio’s POV, I had to tweak key setting details, and some names, and add in some culture embellishments, and add in a few plot things. (And honestly, there’s still work that I could and will do on the next edit). So while there was a lot to do - and a lot of pages - it was a task I had a pretty good grasp on.
With Eren’s POV, there are a couple key differences.
I have to overhaul Eren’s setting. Not just a few polishes and adjustments. He is going to go from living and working in a tent barracks within the guardianship, to living and working in a prison setting. Which also means I will need to tighten up the penal system - what do I really want the penal system to look like? How will I execute it?
Eren’s POV is an epistle narrative, similar to Dracula. I wanted a more personal and real-time feel with his storyline, but I also wanted it to read like a regular narrative. I loved how in Dracula it was sometimes easy to forget I was reading a letter. Yes, it’s fanciful and no one actually writes letters like they’re writing a story. But also, why not? If I was in prison writing to the love of my life, I would absolutely write my letters with as much detail I could muster with the energy I had.
So, there is a lot of work to do with Eren.
Smaller Goals…
I have been wanting to write at a coffee shop now for… a few months.
Even before Covid, I had not written in a coffee shop in years. I think I like the idea of it, but then actually leaving my private, comfy, quiet, fewer-distractions home just sounds like a less good idea. But the few times I have written in a coffee shop, I do recall having gotten some serious writing done. Because at that point the coffee shop feels like an “office.” I have left home for a specific purpose in mind.
Write a poem every day. Or a mini story. Or flash fiction. Just write more frequently. To not spurn my most important means of expression, writing.
Poems: I often get swept up and away when I’m at work, so much that I am burnt by the end of the day. But when I’m on hold with a court, or waiting for a page to load, why can’t I scribble a few words? I can, that’s why. And I find that whenever I do, I hang onto my creative spirit. Poetry is walking alongside me.
Mini Story: I have also had little allegory-type stories pop up in my head once in a while. I have found myself hesitating to write them down because I feel as if I need to create a world for them to live in first, and flesh out the plot, and figure out what the characters look like… But maybe I simply need to write the little stories. Insignificant and all. Imperfect and all. Maybe they’re not as insignificant as I think? Either way, I want to treasure the images coming to me, not throw them away or turn my shoulder. I want to be still as they flit and fly tentatively closer, holding my hand out with a pile of seeds. I want to be a sanctuary for all stories.
Flash Fiction: I used to make it a point to write a flash-fiction story every day based on an image. It was a quick, easy writing exercise. I want to do more of those again.
