It seems to me that there is quite a push to get writers to believe they can write a novel in a month. NaNoWriMo, blog posts, books. If you’re a full time writer or someone with an already thoroughly sketched out or outlined idea, I think that is true. Or maybe if you just type ultra fast. But I don’t think I’m among your ranks.
I have my own fairly ambitious writing plan for this year, however. In May or June I plan to release a novel. But that’s not the real ambitious part (because it’s already written). By the end of 2013 I would like to have a collection of short stories to put into book form. And I would like to release them throughout the year as Kindle Singles, little ebooks for $0.99 each. And I would like to do this once a month.
To think I can pull this off strikes me as ambitious, but not quite foolhardy. So I plan to break up each month of 2013 in such a way that I can write, revise, edit, format, and release a short story into the cybersphere regularly, like the slow drip of an IV.
How will I accomplish this? I believe it may work out this way:
- Weeks 1 & 2 – Write
- Week 3 – Revise and edit
- Week 4 – Format and release
This seems reasonable to me at the moment, in the glow of a fresh new year. We shall see as we go, I suppose, if it is in reality. I already have ten stories partially imagined or scribbled about in my notebook. One of the stories that will be in the collection is already written, though I cannot release that one until after a particular contest is finished in March. So I will save the release of that one to be my one cheat, my back-up in case of a bad or very busy month.
Does this strike you as a little naïve? Am I fooling myself here? Perhaps. But you can’t fail or succeed until you try.
What are your writing goals for 2013? I’d love to hear about them.
Erin Bartels 
I think that’s an awesome plan! Go for it and let us know how it goes. 🙂
Ereaders have made short stories more popular – I think. Will yours be linked or stand alone? And what a fun way to build an audience – then when the novel comes out, boom, readers willing to give it a try. 🙂
Good luck with the goals. I think they are very doable.
Jenna
Hi Jenna. The stories will be stand alone, though the collection will have a few common threads running through it. I like a little injection of the surreal or strange in short stories, kind of like how dreams are sort of real, but there’s always something off about them. So that will probably (hopefully) be evident in the stories. Thanks for your positive comments!
Thanks, Patti! I think as I release the short stories I may also excerpt them on the blog so everyone can get a taste before buying. Stay tuned!
Oh – I like that idea. If there are sprinklings of common weirdnesses happening, it will keep people coming back for more. Smart thinking. 🙂
I am a fan of stretch goals. It sounds like a great idea, but a challenge.