Round of Words LogoThis 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.