Summer Goals

When I set goals, I think big.

Goals that are not obtainable short term, if at all.

Why?

Because goals like this motivate me.

I once had a goal to publish my fantasy novel this year, back in 2024. And I'm just now in the first round of developmental edits.

But that goal helped me write a book in three months!

Which I will always be proud of.

With the seasons changing, I'm looking forward to soaking up some sun and changing my mindset a little on editing. Because so far, the negative thoughts regarding these edits have outweighed the positive by a long shot.

But goals aren't just about the things you want to accomplish - they're about habit building. And building healthy habits around editing is what I'm striving for this summer!

Not looking at my first draft with criticism. But with curiosity. Which I already try to do, but I think as writers, it's easy for us to discredit what we've done. And just how far we've come. Especially when it comes to editing.

The editing process is so much different from drafting. As I was drafting this novel, I remember I kept thinking editing was the easy part. I was wrong by a long shot!

Editing is harder to measure. It's harder to see progress with. It's easier to get lost in your own weeds with. There's no big, bold word count staring you down to show you actually did something. At least not all the time.

It's easy to get discouraged while editing. It is while drafting - but with editing, I've found I have this problem come up a lot more.

But you know what? I did it. I wrote a book. And that's awesome! Even when I feel like burning it to the ground.

This summer, I want to be a little nicer to myself and my book. Because we both deserve it.

This summer, I want to finish my plot edits!

This summer, I want to edit for a minimum of one hour a day.

And most importantly, the biggest goal I have for this summer is to show up.