Probably because I can never keep them. However, this year I’ve decided to make a resolution I might have a “whelk’s chance in a supernova” of actually keeping (thank you, Douglas Adams, for one of many colourful phrases I’ve never forgotten). My goal this year is to complete and submit six manuscripts.
Now, I’m kinda cheating, because I’ve got one that’s already a first draft (last words finished this morning & my first attempt at cyberpunk) and one that’s got 10K already written (first attempt at a contemporary). But if stacking the deck is what it takes, well, call me a cheater 🙂 It also helps that I’ve got tons of ideas besides those two. I want to write a third MIA book (oh, poor Oliver — I intend to put him through the wringer). I’d like to write a sequel to my upcoming Carina release, and this one would involve alien nookie. And I’ve got an idea for another contemporary as well as a time travel one. And those are only the ones I’ve made notes for.
For a change, I’ve even got titles picked out for half of them, which is highly unusual, since I usually use a generic working title until I’m ready to submit. Then I agonize over choosing something suitable. For instance, MIA Case Files: Wolfsbane spent several months as “the agency”. Blood Relations was “vampire agency”. Spice ‘n’ Solace, my upcoming Carina Press release started out as “rent boy”.
The cyberpunk is currently “the hacker” although I’ve chosen a proper title now, and the contemporary has a working title that I might want to keep. MIA 3 already has a title, too. Because I’m weird about titles, I’m not going to share the ones I’ve picked out… not yet.
So… back to the resolutions. I have an idea of how long I want each one to be, and if I subtract the words I’ve already written, that means about 215K for 2011. I think that’s manageable, even with a full time job.
As an adjunct, I’d like to find more time for Facebook — probably more people say they should spend less time on it, but I need to feel more comfortable with that style of communication. So for me, the easy resolution will be the writing bit. The hard bit will be Facebook. And if I manage to exercise more and eat right, that’s just gravy!
Hope everyone has a fabulous 2011!
I know you can do it. And good for you for trying new genres. I wish I was so full of ideas, but I’m working on brainstorming.
I hope you have a wonderful and prolific year.
Thanks Wynter!