RTW: My Writing Plans
If you’re like me, and in my situation (unpublished, unagented, and probably a lot of other uns), the most pressing “long term writing goals” are along the lines of “finish this novel,” or “get revisions done,” or “query another 20 agents.” But today, the YA Highway folks want us to be little more reflective with regard to our writing career. For today’s Road Trip Wednesday, they’re asking:
What do you hope to be writing in one year? Three? Five?
“I plan to stop getting my quills from WalMart–they don’t stay sharp!”
The question is interesting, because it isn’t a general “where do you hope to be,” kind of question. I’m not really sure how to answer, because I write what I write, and what I’m writing in a year, three years, or five years, may be very different to what I’m writing now, depending on the story I need to write at that time. This much I can say: I hope in a year to be writing something other than my current WIP. I’ve already spent over a year starting, restarting, and chewing over this story; I need to get it written so I can either try to get it published (if it’s good enough), or move on to something else. So I hope next year’s WIP will be a different WIP to the current WIP. And given the ideas I currently have on paper, it’s likely to be quite different.
Three years down the road, I hope to at least have an agent, so my writing will also incorporate revisions, edits, and other agent-requested work. It would be great if in five years I’m published; then you can add to all the other writing whatever I need to do as a published author. That would be cool.
I’m not sure if that’s exactly what YA Highway had in mind, but there’s my answer.
What are your writing goals or plans for the next five years? Do you have any? Comment below, or join the Road Trip–see the YA Highway blog for details on how to participate.
I hear you
I just told my hubby that I needed to go through my manuscript again to deepen some scenes, add some more details to them and he was like “what? again?” 
With Nano coming along, I’m sure that next year you’ll be working on something brand new! And yes to the agent/published bit, hope to be at this stage on my writing too
I can’t tell you how many times I went through my last novel… and I still don’t think it was enough. Indeed, given the agent response I received, I know it wasn’t enough! Which is why I’ve shelved it with a view to, perhaps, going back to it at a later date. Fresh eyes, and perhaps a bit more experience will help improve it, I think. I certainly wish you better success with your novel.
Hear hear. I think a lot of us are in this same boat. In fact, I’m not even 100% sure I’m doing this post today because I feel like my answer will be so similar. A year from now? I’d love to think that I have an agent and am either working on the sequel to this story I’m about to query or working on something entirely new and exciting. Only time will tell, right? As for this story that you’ve been working on for some time now–I hope to read it one day!
I thought about passing on RTW today for the same reason–isn’t this what every non-agented, non-published writer would say? But I thought I’d go ahead and say it anyway!
As for the old WIP–hopefully after November, it will be a lot closer to publication than it is today.
Haha, I can sympathise with working on the same thing for ages. I’m getting closer to what I want from Beast Inside but I’m still finding things that I don’t like. And I probably won’t stop doing that!
In five years it would be nice to have achieved that dream of being published with an agent. It’ll be nice for all of us who are still on the non-published side to all be able to say: ‘we did it’
The “other side” of revising and editing is knowing when to stop. There’s always something we can change or re-do… but we have to learn when to say, “Okay, while there’s more I could do, I’m pleased enough with it that I would be proud to present it to an agent.” I hope you get there very soon, Robin.
Good answer! This was a really tricky question. I barely even know what I’m writing next month for NaNo, let alone a year from now.
Good luck with the WIP!
Thanks, Rachael! Wow, I don’t think I could do NaNo without at least *some* idea of what I’m going to do! I wish you every success.
Yeah, that’s about my answer too. I get ideas and run with them, so who knows where my head will be by then.
I think we all want to be agented and published, but with what? Our current WIPs? Something else? Who knows. I like what others have said: no matter what happens, I still want to love writing. I think we’d all agree with that.
Bing bing! They’re my answers too! One step at a time, reaching for the utimate goal! That’s how we do it! All the best Colin, I can see you going far!
Thank you, Samantha! I think the danger of planning for five years ahead is we might get impatient if things aren’t coming together as we hoped. Which is why it’s important to stay focused on writing great novels, and going, as you say, one step at a time.
I have a tendency to “chew over” my stories too, usually to the point where I need to stop all my obsessive planning and just get on with the writing already. Keeping up the momentum through the whole process is tricky, so I can relate to the goal of simply wanting to be done with the current WIP and onto something different (or a sequel) a year from now.
And hopefully, in a month’s time, I’ll have the first draft of this WIP done–at least mostly.
I remember your sleeping beauty retold idea! Could you put that on your “to write” list??
You know, Kelli, if I didn’t have a WIP that so desperately needed my attention this NaNoWriMo, I might well have written that story next month. Especially given your comment. Thank you so much for the encouragement. It’s definitely on the list.
Agreed. I’ts like I said on my post … there are many things in this industry that simply don’t depend only on us and that we have no control over …
What we can do though is come up with shorter plans and change them as things move along
Absolutely, Juliana. I have no idea if an agent or publisher will ever like what I write. But if I don’t write something, and try to make it the best I can, I’ll never know!
I like that answer.
It’s nice to dream, but who really knows?
Thanks, Sara. Indeed, who knows?
I think I’m doing good if I know what I’m fixing dinner for tomorrow, so the 5 year plan? Hmm, not so much, at least not in hard and fast terms. But I do have a rough timeline for what I want to be writing over the next several months. Great answer, BTW, and best of luck on your journey to publication!
Thank you, Nickie! I’m sure there’s a publishable novel (or maybe two!) among all these ideas. But I’ll never know if I don’t write them.
Sounds like a perfect timeline for getting agented and published
I hope it works out!
Thanks, Crystal.
Our plans are so similar! I am convinced this means it’s all going to happen for both of us.
I certainly hope so, Adrianne. I wish you success!
Oh, the elusive “something different next year.” Haha. I’m so goal-inept, I fear even shooting for that, but I share the sentiment, for sure.
If I get this WIP drafted next month, then I’ll be well on my way to writing something different next year. I’m certainly aiming for that.
At this stage of our careers, we unagented unplublished writers have to think realistically. I’m glad your goals are just that. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Leslie. It’s fun to dream, but realism keeps us pounding the keyboard.
Realistic goals but a bit of dream too. You have to hope or why bother? I like your ‘plan’…
Thanks, Beck. I think we write because it’s what we want to do, perhaps even *need* to do, but you do have to hope it’ll lead to something. That’s what makes us better writers, and inspires our persistence.