I didn’t really write today. Maybe only 1500 words. I needed a break, after writing so hard and fast.

I’ll still finish this chapter up tomorrow, and maybe do one more before the end of the year.

I went back and looked at my stated writing/publishing goals for 2012. I did most of what I said I would do — finished Clockwork Kingdom and got that published, same with Zydeco Queen. I didn’t write Siren’s Call, though, I ended up writing a different novel altogether. And I wrote some short fiction.

This year, my writing goals are pretty similar, though more generic:
–Write three novels
–Write some short stories (I’m shooting for six, though it may be more.)

In terms of word count, I plan on getting to 200,000 words again. I think that’s a nice, round number that suits my writing life. I know people who wouldn’t be happy with hitting the same goal year after year, but I don’t think I need to push myself more than I already do. I am happy with the word count I achieved, and I would be pleased to hit it again.

Dean, in his post on keeping production going, has some great suggestions for setting writing goals. I agree with his suggestions in a broad sense, but my process is a little different.

One thing about my process–I do not have word count goals. Those are an abomination in terms of my writing process. I also don’t have daily goals, again, nothing will get me to stop writing faster than having a daily goal for a period of longer than a couple of weeks.

I set production goals. However, I set them based on each project, not for the year.

For The Guardian Hound, the novel I’m currently working on, once I get back to working the day job regularly, my goals will be:
–2-3 chapters per week
–1 chapter during the weeks I’m traveling
–0-1 chapters during the weeks I am taking a workshop in Lincoln City

Currently, I’m planning on writing the sequel to Clockwork Kingdom as the second novel I write this year. I wrote that in six weeks, as a challenge to myself. I may do the same thing again. If I decide that’s going to be my process, then my production goal will be to write 10,000 words a week, every week, for six weeks. If I chose a different process, I’ll have a different production goal.

I have no idea what the third novel will be. Until I figure that out I can’t state a production goal. I will have one, I always do.

The short stories will be written to their own goals, generally one per week, unless I need to produce something faster.

I will do another post later on my publication goals, because they’re very different this year than the writing goals.