Last year, I’ve set a writing goal to track the number of words written every month and to finish my outstanding stories in progress (check out 2020 Goal Tracker here). This year, I’m taking a different approach.
As per the results of last year’s word tracking, I know now that producing good amounts of words a month is not a problem for me. Editing is not a problem. I actually like it. Maybe a little too much. My problem is in staying focused on one project at a time. Priorities keep switching in my head, and I end up feeling pulled in multiple directions at the same time. End result: lots of stories in progress.
I can’t make myself write a book from beginning to finish. As idealistic as that sounds, you can’t bend creativity to your will. I find myself burned out after a few weeks of working on the same project, but I can compromise.
Here comes this year’s goal: FOCUS.
At the beginning of each month this year,
I will decide which project I’ll work on,
and will stick with that project for the entire month.
The only exceptions to this rule that I’ll allow myself:
- Ok to switch if the project is finished early,
- Very minor sidetrack (not more than a day),
- Light-weight brainstorming for another project.
Is this a good idea? I have no clue. Only one way to find out.
Ready, set, GOAL!
2021 goal tracker START
January 2021
Project: The Merlin Paradox
Current wordcount: 90,262
Current status: First draft was initially finished. Second draft: 1st act written, nearly done editing.
Desired progress: Update the previously written chapters. Try to tackle a few new ones – some rewrites are needed. Try to get closer to satisfying Story Grid methodology.
Ending wordcount: n/a – started a new document for the new version.
Ending status: Huge plotting progress. Bad news – more revisions are needed in the future. Enter 3rd draft.
February 2021
Project: Medium of Eidolon Falls
Current wordcount: 0
Current status: 2021 Open Novella Contest prompts released on February 1st.
Desired progress: Hopefully can finish it by the end of the month. The bare minimum is 2,000 words to be submitted by February 28th.
Ending wordcount: 20,988
Ending status: Majority of the book is finished. Only few chapters left (maybe 4-5).
March 2021
Project: Medium of Eidolon Falls
Current wordcount: 20,988
Desired progress: Submit edited 8,000 words by the deadline. Finish the book and gather feedback to edit in full.
Ending wordcount: 31,061
Ending status: The book made it in the first round of the contest. I was eligible for the next round and submitted. Oh, did I say before that only 4-5 chapters were needed? lol. Still need 4-5.
April 2021
Project: Medium of Eidolon Falls
Current wordcount: 31,061
Desired progress: Finish. And soon! I expect being able to start another project in April. I need to get this book over with.
Ending wordcount: 36,516
Ending status: Nearly finished. The novella progressed to the next stage of the competition. Yay!
May 2021
Project: Medium of Eidolon Falls
Current wordcount: 36,516
Desired progress: Finish and edit.
Book finished within the first couple of days to reach the deadline. Now begins the painful process of editing.
Ending wordcount: 47,553
Ending status: I’ve analyzed the heck out of the first draft and finally identified that the story that wove itself in is a Society-Domestic story. Woohoo! With that in mind, I’m ready to dive into draft two; HOWEVER, I’m holding off because I still need to figure out what to do with the Love story. I realized that I don’t 100% need it for the global story to work. And if I do keep it, I have to strengthen it a lot. So we’ll see.
Contest wise, the story passed the third round and qualified for the longlist but did not make the shortlist. I’m fine with that because I’m no longer thinking of it as a novella. I’m absolutely happy to have taken part in the event because it pushed me to write this story and I think it’s special. It needs to be written and read.
June 2021
Project: Medium of Eidolon Falls
Current wordcount: 47,553
Desired progress: Put a nice dent in draft two.
Ending wordcount: 59,018 + 16,360 (including notes)
Ending status: I’ve started a new document for draft two. It’s gearing up to be very different from draft one.
July 2021
Project: Medium of Eidolon Falls
Current wordcount: 16,360 (including notes)
Desired progress: Put a nice dent in draft two.
The book will be a lot more paranormal than draft one. I’m excited!
Ending wordcount: 35,208.
August 2021
Project: Medium of Eidolon Falls
Current wordcount: 35,208
Desired progress: Get to the midpoint
I must say, I’m conflicted. I badly want to finish draft 2, but meanwhile, I’m reeeaaaallly tempted to switch projects. The NOOM is calling to me, asking to be continued. Readers are definitely motivating me by asking if I’ve abandoned the project or not. And no one roots for me to finish this story but myself. It doesn’t mean that I won’t finish if no one roots for it. I love the story enough to keep myself motivated.
The rule that I’ve imposed on myself for this year was to not flip-flop—make up my mind and stick with one project for at least a month. I’ve been working on The Medium of Eidolon Falls since February 1st. I think it qualifies as being focused on one project at a time, doesn’t it?
But again, I’d love to finish it and I’m afraid that if I put it on hold to pick it back up later, it will be harder to get back into the story, inside my characters’ heads, etc.
Maybe what I need is a purge. I need to purge into writing all ideas I have for this book, what scenes and themes I think are needed or are worth exploring so I don’t have to fear forgetting all the good stuff. As of today, I’m thinking about it. Decision will be made in the next few days.
Ending wordcount: 51,753
I continued writing till the end of the month. I’m feeling more and more exhausted now. I still love the story and I want to see it finished, but each chapter feels like a chore. I think it’s time for a switch. I’ve already started organizing my notes. I’ll spend the next couple of days doing that to ensure it’s not as hard to get back into the story later.
September 2021
Project: The Gathering, Book 1 of The New Order of Merlin
Desired progress: Take it to Edit Town
I’m ready for a fun fanfiction break. The NOOM, get ready for me! My first assignment is to read read read. I’m going to read what’s written and my notes on what’s supposed to come next and then I’ll jump right in. This has been three years in the making. I’m ready to finish this baby.
Ending status: Halfway edited (111k words).
September was an experimental month. I wasn’t ready to let go of Medium of Eidolon Falls, but I needed a break, so I loosened the rules of this year’s challenge—I worked on two things at the same time. The idea was that I would continue working on Medium, the book I’m supposed to be working on, and when I felt too burned out, I worked on editing The Gathering.
The end result was quite good. I didn’t write a whole lot for Medium of Eidolon Falls, but I made a great progress in The Gathering. The two projects competed for my attention, and I’d just work on whichever felt the strongest. By some reverse psychology magic, a lot more productivity happened. So in the end, It’s a successful experiment. I can, indeed, work on two things at the same time.
October 2021
Project: The NOOM!!!
Desired progress: Edit and Prep.
November is coming, which means NaNoWriMo. I would love to finish Book 2 of The NOOM. It would be amazing if I could take that WIP off my to-do list. So the plan for this month is, edit book 1 if I’m in the mood for it, but the main focus is on prepping.
Ending status: I spent about a half of the month working on book 1. The rest of the month I dedicated on rereading book 2. I’ve reviewed the plans I had for this story and adjusted them accordingly. I’m excited to start.
November 2021
Project: Cursed, Book 2 of The New Order of Merlin
Starting wordcount: 87,185.
Desired progress: Finish this baby. Please, finish it already.
Ending status: FINISHED! The draft is finally written. Another NaNoWriMo success (read the journal here). I loved seeing the ending of this book come to life. It’s truly as epic as the whole book geared up to be.
December 2021
Project: Cursed, Book 2 of The New Order of Merlin
Starting wordcount: 90,804+47,602.
Desired progress: Put a dent in the merge + edit effort.
Ending status: The two documents were successfully merged. I’ve also made good progress with editing (up to around chapter 20 though final touches will be needed later). I’m feeling good about the state of this draft, though it’s quite daunting how much work is ahead of me to make it a proper draft one.
Ending wordcount: 116,015 (without notes).
I will most definitely have to add to the wordcount in the editing process, but since the majority of the scenes are written, I’m fairly confident that in the end, it won’t exceed 150k. And that is quite golden. My goal was to make a much more concise story when compared to Book 1, which clocked in at 250k on draft one. I did it! And I did it while still telling a rich story, with five characters going through an entire journey, and their stories intertwining, and a compelling premise for each. I’m proud of this story.
Without spoiling, here are the stories:
Merlin’s story is about juggling priorities. He promised to look after Harry Potter, but then he’s given hope and wants to pursue his personal goals, and he can’t always be there for Harry.
Harry’s story is the one we’re familiar with, Sirius Black is the bad guy until he’s a victim. But what if a few details change and Harry faces off with him in a different way?
Remus Lupin is a werewolf that’s given a chance to prove to everyone that he’s safe, that his beast is no reason to shun him from society. But what kind of a good guy holds back a secret that could bring the murderous Sirius Black to justice?
There’s Jack, who has more in common with Remus than he knows. He wants to distance himself from his mother and fully integrate into the wizarding community, and he thinks joining Quidditch is the way. But is he really a part of the team when he hides from them what makes him different from them?
There’s Elsa, who’s the very opposite. She’s her mother’s daughter and she’s on a mission. But when the consequences of her actions catch up to her, and worse, to others, she’ll have to wonder if it’s really worth it.
And in doing what she does, Elsa links back to Merlin’s story as she accidentally sets off a chain of events that could fulfill his destiny or bring his doom.
Everyone’s cursed in their own ways.
2021 summary
I feel good about what I’ve achieved in 2021.
It was the year I wrote Medium of Eidolon Falls. The project might not be finished, but this is when it was born. I think this is a good project that might turn out my first original publishing (if nothing else beats it to the race). I love the story premise.
It’s the year I made a huge progress in editing The Gathering – another massive project that will require more than one year to finish, but it’s one step closer to reaching its potential.
It’s the year I finished the draft of Cursed and it’s a story I’m proud of. This whole series brings in wonderful readers and fellow fans that bring me joy. Though I know well that I’ll never capitalize monetarily on the hard work I’ve put into it, I am capitalizing on it emotionally. It keeps me happy and motivates me to pursue writing projects that might one day turn into paid projects.
Here’s to happy endings.
