Getting Organized for 2013

So, 2012 is almost over and it’s time to set some goals for 2013!

Okay, so I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to in 2012 (namely that crazy schedule of stories I wanted to write), but I did manage to finish 2 first-drafts of novels. And although I didn’t exactly rack up a huge list of publishing credits this year either, I did manage to hit up more markets, thanks to taking part in Write1Sub1. I didn’t write 12 new stories, but I did sub to 12 different markets – so yay!

Anyway, all I can do is vow to improve my output next year, and here are a few of the things on my agenda:

CHALLENGES

• I’ll be trying Write1Sub1 Monthly again (i.e. 12 new short stories, 1/month)
• A new challenge I decided to take up – the 2013 Million Word Challenge! (1 million words total for the year – it sounds daunting but it’s only 2740 words per day)

BOOKS

• Edit the 2 novels I wrote last year, and a 3rd one I wrote in 2008
• Write a novella (which currently sits as a 6-times-rejected short story on my hard drive 🙂 )

OTHER FICTION

• Write & publish an online serial
• Write another Special Project!

And…..that’s just my fiction!

I have Outstanding Ink to run, Miss Write to rejuvinate, and Bloody Bookish to keep up with. Obviously, it’s all a labour of love!

It seems a little nuts, writing all that out, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve:

• Google Calendar is my friend! (i have daily, weekly and monthly tasks scheduled to keep me on track)
• Productive Flourishing planners are a god-send (I use the Monthly Action Planner, Blog Post Planner & Calendar)
• Liquid Story Binder to do my writing & keep all my notes organized
• Evernote, to keep track of my million-and-one story ideas
• Dropbox to automatically sync/back-up my work online and SyncBack to sync my files on my laptop/USB key
• This Daily/Monthly/Yearly Excel Spreadsheet to track my writing output

I know, it all sounds idyllic, but I burn out, get buried under work and lose momentum like everyone else. But having these tools in place helps me to get back on track if (okay, let’s face it…..when) that happens.

So – that’s that. I’m spending the next few days going over ideas, checking my calendar, looking at open calls, scheduling projects, prioritizing – and then it’s time to hit the ground running!

What are your goals for 2013 (writing or otherwise?)