This is my first round. I just found out about A Round of Words through a post run on a magazine I’m associated with. (You can find that here, if you’re so inclined.) I’m a veteran NaNoWri-er who has great intentions for the rest of the year and not a lot of follow through. Outside pressure and accountability definitely works for me, so I thought I’d give RW80 a go.
It’s tempting as I sit here and type out my goals to keep adding to them. They seem so simple and innocuous. 250 words a day? Totally easy! I know if I ramp that up to 500 I’m setting myself up for failure. I’m not exactly un-lazy. Or a lady of leisure. So, little goals for the most part, which I should be able to handle even during personal rough spots. And one big one, though it may seem objectively small – getting a piece ready for application to a writing program. I’ve been trying to get over the ‘be judged and found wanting’ panic that most writers – hell, most human beings – seem to suffer from. I know I’ll benefit from a good program or at least a good workshop, so I just need to get over myself and do it.
Mostly Reasonable Goals:
- Write 250 words a day.
- Commit to writing at least one post every week for Persephone Magazine, outside my editor duties.
- Revise and rework a writing sample for application to the Juniper Summer Writing Institute.
- Apply, and don’t talk self out of applying, to the same.
- Read and comment on other participants blogs during this period.
Annie Gray (@AnnieSoulFire) said:
Hi my first round too, Good Luck! I really hope you get in to the writing program.
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slaybelle said:
Thank you! Good luck to you too!
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moniquerhoward said:
I understand the fear of applying to anything. It can be maddening but once it is in the mail or you hit the send button there is a since of accomplishment and relief (at least for a little while). Good luck with your goals.
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slaybelle said:
Its absolutely the part about getting it to the mail/send button that’s intimidating. All sorts of room for self doubt.
Thank you for the well wishes!
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Debbie_e said:
They sound like very reasonable goals. Good luck with them all.
I find an outside pressure works for me too so I was really glad to stumble on ROW80 (especially as I didn’t make it to 50k on NaNo this year.)
And I love the name of your blog!
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slaybelle said:
Thank you. I’m a big Costello fan and this particular lyric seemed to fit.
It took me a while to admit that outside pressure was the only way to keep myself accountable, but its really true. Keeping accountable only to myself doesn’t get the laundry done on time, not to mention something as ‘indulgent’ as writing.
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BluntlyBlue said:
Ok, here I am, hi! So glad to see your goal – 250 makes me feel so much better about my 200 😀
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slaybelle said:
Hello friend!
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Laura said:
Welcome to #ROW 80. Great goals. Good luck. 🙂 x
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slaybelle said:
Thank you!
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Rebecca J Fleming said:
Welcome to ROW80! Those sound like easily achievable goals that should bring you a lot more words in the long run. Good luck 🙂
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S. Winchester said:
Those are all obtainable goals! I wish you luck in ROW 80 🙂 and in your application. I hope everything goes well!
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Raelyn Barclay said:
Welcome to ROW80 Slaybelle! I’m coming BACK to ROW80. As you’ve already been to my blog you know I have the same wordage goal. I’ve learned that having a smaller goal gets my butt in the chair and isn’t that the main goal in the first place?
Best of luck this round!
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