My Writing Bucket List

I'm taking a cue from freelance writer Thursday Bram, who posted her bucket list last week and got me thinking about what I would put on my own list.

So I gave it some thought, and if I knew I was going to kick the bucket very very soon, these are the writing goals I would pursue, like, NOW:

1. Make my living as a full-time freelance writer. I’m working my fanny off at this one, but I’m still too chicken to make the leap and try it full-time. So instead, I send out queries and schedule interviews whenever possible, and fit in the actual writing whenever I get any free time whatsoever. Granted, it’s not the way I would choose to work, but having very little uninterrupted writing time has definitely helped me become more disciplined. Would this be the case if I did go full-time and had all day to complete articles and queries? I really can’t say for sure.

2. Break into larger consumer markets (particularly bridal). The wedding pubs are proving to be very difficult to break into. I finally sold an article to a regional wedding pub early last year, but I have a slew of other ideas I’d love to sell. I love weddings and writing about the wedding industry, so this would definitely be a dream market for me. But if I can’t crack the bridal pubs, I’d be happy to see my name in a well-known newsstand publication.

3. Land a book deal and get my first novel published. I did have a very encouraging agent appointment at one of my conferences this year, which went a long way toward boosting my confidence. Now to just get the editing done…I’d be one step closer to making a sale!

4. Teach creative writing. I’m getting there, since I’m teaching English already and trying to work in some assignments that take a little more creativity and imagination. I’d like to teach a straight-up creative writing or magazine writing course, though.

5. Promote the literary arts in my hometown. I’m working my fanny off at this one, too. My writer’s group is definitely gaining some good momentum, which is very exciting to experience. But for the most part, I don’t know how many of our members are actively writing, which goes to show that all of the education and resources in the world can’t make someone sit down and do it—that drive needs to come from within. But the growth has been awesome, so I’m just happy to be a part of the group and apply what I learn from our speakers and presentations to my own writing goals.

What about you? What would be on your writing bucket list?

First Week of 2010

My apologies for being MIA all of last week. On Monday I definitely felt the early stages of a cold coming on. I tried to fight it off with my usual methods, but by Thursday it was clear that this was a bit stronger than I'd anticipated. Long story short--a sick day at work and a doctor's appointment was in order. Diagnosis--sinusitis and a "contaminated eye" that I've been battling all weekend. Needless to say, besides the assignments I had to complete, I wasn't doing much of anything all week! I'm definitely on the mend now, however.

How has 2010 been treating you? I started a new gig at the end of the year, and I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of it. I thought that blogging regularly would be the answer to keeping my writing skills up, but I think this other gig might keep me on my toes even more. I also have a few other projects in the works that I've been trying to move forward with--I had a lot of time off over the holidays, but people I needed to speak with did, too! Now I'm trying to line up interviews on lunch breaks, which is never easy and something I really dislike, but I don't have too many other options.

I wrapped up 2009 financially, too, and now I'm getting everything in order so tax time is painless.

I'm also trying to get ready for the spring semester. I managed to get my syllabus done this weekend (1 week early!), so I'm already ahead of the game. I'm getting excited about teaching this spring--I feel much more prepared, and hopefully I'll get a good group of students who actually want to learn something and improve their skills.

I have a few story ideas in the works, but I want to make some headway with my other assignments first. I think I'll spend some time on developing the queries so they don't seem rushed. There's a lot on my plate--hopefully on yours, too!

What was your first order of business in 2010?

What's in Store for 2010?

As we all get ready to officially kiss 2009 goodbye (not to mention the first decade of the 21st century), it's an excellent time to start moving forward and doing some planning for 2010 if you haven't already!

For me, my goals are (in no particular order):

• Increase marketing efforts to attract business and establish myself as a professional writer and not just someone who "likes to write"
• Get back to writing fiction and enhance those skills
• Finish and polish some long-forgottten essays
• Get the hang of my new content writing gig!

What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish in the new year?

What's Your Biggest Writing Goal?

All writers have their own short-term and long-term career goals. It's easy to let other commitments or projects sidetrack us, and it might seem as if we're never going to get there (there is different for all writers).

So if a freelance writing career is a bit of a "forest for the trees" sort of lifestyle (especially for us part-timers who are just trying to snag any job we can!), how do we know when we're there?

Right now my biggest goal is to get to a place where I'm financially secure enough to at least give full-time freelancing a try for a few months. Of course, in our current economic climate, it's beyond risky to take that chance and hope that a job might be waiting for me if I decide to go back after 6 months or a year (and I'm not a risk-taker by nature!)

Any other writing-related accomplishments I earn after going full-time are just extra. I have a few book ideas stewing (what writer doesn't?), but right now that's where I'm trying to get--the flexibility, artistic freedom to explore the many topics that interest me, experimenting in different genres, and oh yeah, did I mention the flexibility? all just seem too tempting to pass up. I went through a period of unemployment for 6 months a few years ago and it was torture--I'm hoping I would have enough work to keep me from going stir crazy! I have a lot more going on in my life (personally and professionally) now, though, so I don't think I'd have that problem!

What's your biggest writing goal?

What's Your Motivation?

All writers have our own reasons for why we pursue the craft. Some of us have discovered that writing articles, columns, and copy can be handy extra income. Others are working on a manuscript and hope to see their work on bookshelves someday. And others have their own myriad reasons for why they show up at the keyboard every day and pound out text.

There are a lot of reasons for why I continue to work at it. I'm interested in a lot of different things, and writing has given me a way to learn more about those things. Many of the people that I've gotten to interview and the things that I've gotten to do keep me coming back for more, as well. It is also a great outlet for me to share what I know with others. And yet another reason is that writing has been an incredible way to relieve stress and make sense of a few otherwise very difficult moments in my life. Writing has always been one of the few constants in my life, and I always feel challenged to make each piece better. And yes, okay, I admit that the income is nice, too.

What's your motivation? Why do you keep writing?