M. Lori Motley

Whether it’s weight loss, organization, or a new romance, New Year’s resolutions are made to be kept, but often broken quickly. I solve this problem by only making resolutions that I KNOW I can do… mostly because they are about things I love.

Unfortunately, only 2 of my writing goals from 2008 were realized, or, more accurately, replaced with other ones I could not foresee in January. So, most of my old writing goals are my writing goals for 2009 as well. No problem.

Now seems a good time to direct you to an article a friend of mine wrote:

As my late grandfather always used to say, “You will never reach your goals, if you do not make them in the first place.” And he was right. Fiction writers often have trouble setting goals, I think, because we begin to think in abstract, artistic terms, instead of business-like ones.

Fiction Writers Should Set Goals

I write after 9:30pm – after my kids get tucked into bed. I usually stay up till midnight or 1:00 am. Lately, I’ve been playing old computer games rather than writing. Bad me!

Last night, I did a little work on my NaNo ’07. I’m on the 2nd draft – changing it from 1st person to 3rd limited and adding in more of a spiritual subplot. It’s not as enjoyable as the golden rush of creation, but it’s necessary.

I have 2 short stories to finish before the end of January. Seems like too much to do! I used to write 1 short story per week as practice. Practice for what I do not know. Some of them were awful, some pretty good. Who was it that said a writer must write 1 million words of crap before they write something good?

Two nights ago, I finished the first draft of my second novel, “The Stone Throne.” (working title) A great surge of proud accomplishment runs through my body and then peters out like a firework to rain gritty cinders down on my soul.

It is possible to take a metaphor too far.

Rewrite… rewrite… and rewrite some more. It’s difficult to FINISH these novels — my first one, “Behind the Wall” (also a working title), has been through three revisions so far and is now undergoing the fourth, more in depth, one.

Most people with any sense think their first drafts are crap. And most people are right. That is why its a first draft. If we could all sit down and type out fabulous, coherant manuscripts the first time, there would be an awful lot of rich writers around.

Be realistic. Most writers are also dentists or lawyers or truck drivers.

We live for the dream…. and, for fantasy writers, we live IN the dream.