Writing Goals and When to Beat Yourself Up (or not)

I have a confession to make--I recently failed at a goal I'd set for myself. A writing goal, to be precise.

It was sometime in October or November that I set it, and I don't think it was an entirely unreasonable goal: To outline and add in scenes to Fate's Awakening from another character's perspective.

But things got in the way--mental exhaustion from the busy year we've had, holiday prep, less-than-ideal (for me) writing conditions. All legitimate reasons to fail. And some not-so-legit ones, too--Netflix, finishing Buffy and devouring Jessica Jones.

No matter how you slice it--fail fail fail fail fail.

In case I wasn't clear...

The carrot at the end of this was to enter a writing contest I was interested in. The deadline was sometime in mid-December.

But first, let me be clear--the contest involved an excerpt from my story that wasn't going to change, so it's not like I needed to meet my goal before entering. I consider my story finished, but going through rewrites due to feedback I've received. It'll add to the word count, sure, but it's more to add depth and polish the story.

So, the day of the contest deadline, I sat and stared at my computer. I really wanted to enter, but I felt I needed to punish myself. How else would I know I meant business? I needed to be held accountable for my failure. Missing out on this opportunity--good exposure, sure, and if I did well in the contest, yay, but the feedback would be good either way--would teach me a lesson.

Didn't make your writing goals? That's a paddlin'.

I debated, alternately beating myself up over it and convincing myself that it was a good idea to do it anyway, until (literally) the eleventh hour.

Eventually I tracked down the husband and I explained my problem and why I was being so melodramatic. This is more or less how the end of the conversation went:

Me: "But should I enter the contest? I really want to, but I didn't meet my writing goals like I promised myself."

Hubs: "Was the goal unreasonable?"

Me: "No, not really."

Hubs: "You got some done though, right?"

Me: "Yeah, I finished the timeline of events and have a few pages of character study so I can get a better idea of who he is."

Hubs: "Okay, that's good. But you didn't finish the scenes?"

Me: "No. That's why I'm conflicted--I was hoping to be done with it all. But I don't need them for the contest. That scene is done and dusted minus editing."

Hubs: "The way I see it, you should enter it and stop beating yourself up. Just because you don't have a completely polished product doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Tech companies like DARPA go to trade shows all the time with incomplete tech and show off what they have--like that freaky robot dog you hate--even if it's not perfect."

He had a point. The story was done but not perfect; I was just beating myself up. And I'd done some important work with the character study and all, things that were necessary for writing the scenes I'd promised myself.

So I did it. I entered the contest. I still feel bad about not making my goals and getting what I wanted anyway. I almost--almost--wish I could say I stuck to my guns and didn't enter, but I'd be lying. Though I've always been very hard on myself when it came to things like this.

As for my story and goals, they will get there. I don't normally set out to do something that can't be achieved, but maybe in the future I need to make more bite-sized goals as part of a bigger one. This has been a learning experience, that's for sure.

Also, that DARPA dog still freaks me out. Good luck sleeping tonight after watching that video.

*shudders*

How do you set your goals? Any good tips you can share? I'd love to hear what your thoughts and strategies are!

xoxo Sarah

"C" is for Contests

Contests are fun, motivating experiences for writers.  They can also make you want to run from the stress like the zombie apocalypse is upon us.

It's exhausting blogging hard-core.

I've entered only one contest so far in my limited writing career, and scored fairly well. I'm also shooting to enter another one whose deadline is the middle of this month--you will see my name and picture under "Glutton for Punishment" in the dictionary--and plan on writing and editing up a storm, which is why I'm spending my Friday evening (yes, this entry was actually written in March) doing blog entries for the coming week.  Woo hoo!  Lindsay Lohan has nothing on me for sheer capacity to party.

No, I'm not saying which contest...it will jinx it.

Entering contests always freaks me out a bit.  There's always that feeling of should I? Maybe it's not good enough, but I have to get over that.

First I have to find out whether or not the contest will take an entry from my genre or length.  If the answer is no, then obviously I don't enter.  If yes, I look at what the criteria is: what do they want--an excerpt or certain type of scene? Just the first twenty pages?  A random word from page thirty-five?

Also, how much does it cost to enter? I see most contests run by RWA chapters, and they tend to cost between $15 and $35, give or take, to enter, so it's not a decision to take lightly.  Honestly, I'd love for them all to be free so I can enter them all without fear, but it is a good idea for them to charge.  They have to pay for the prizes (if there are any awarded) somehow, and there are admin costs, too.

Once you have an entry ready and sent on its way, the waiting starts.  If an entry is due on October 1st, you might get an email around the middle of December or early January about your placement, or finding out if you're going onto another round.  There's definitely some lag time which can be frustrating, but it has a purpose...to allow the judges to read and make sure they're doing the best they can.  They can't do a good job if they're rushed.  I've judged contests before, and found it easiest to get through a couple of entries a night, sometimes only one, depending on how long it was.

When you find out how you did, you'll typically get a marked-up version from each person who judged your entry as well as a score sheet to see how they judged the entry.  This is valuable because it's constructive criticism.  Even if you score well, it's nice to see the judges point things out that are working and aren't in your manuscript.

What's your take on contests? Have you entered any before? Thinking about doing one this year?

xoxo Sarah

Ten lashes with a wet noodle?

Oops. It's been a while.  Again.

Yep, I've been a bit of a blogging failure lately.  But I'm brushing myself off and continuing on.  

Just a quick update: sadly, I misread the rules for the writing contest I was going to enter and was unable to make a submission.  But no matter!  I've found another one...and even better, both Shelley and I are entering!  As two different people of course, but the same contest, different categories.  Mine will likely be an excerpt from The Curse (see the "Novellas and Short Stories" tab for more info!), and Shelley's will be in the contemporary romance category.

In case this one goes pear-shaped for unforeseen reason, I will be keeping this one on the down-low as well until all is said and done.  Suffice it to say, the deadline is October 1st, so I will be working my ass off on my entry from now until, hopefully, well before then.  Advance planning and all.  I'm greatly looking forward to reading and editing Shelley's entry as well.  There's nothing quite like a contest to get you motivated.

I'm super excited about this one, as I've never entered a contest before, and I'm looking forward to some feedback, even if I don't make it anywhere near the finals.  The Curse is nearing the end, as I think I'm on the last two chapters of writing.  Of course then there's the editing and all the ripping apart that must be done, but it will feel good to have a completed manuscript.

Off to get some more done!

xoxo Sarah