Writing Goals for 2022

Well, here we are.

Three weeks into another new year and time for a breakdown of writing goals for 2022. I’ve never really been one to take resolutions seriously but I do believe writing out your goals helps make them tangible which helps make them more achievable.

Over the last several months, I have felt like I’ve woken up out of a haze. I started remembering goals I had from a long time ago that somehow fell to the wayside. I was hiding in a lifestyle that protected me from not achieving my goals.

If I didn’t try, I couldn’t fail.

Then the pandemic hit and I had to reassess everything in my life. Working in a restaurant was no longer a sustainable option so what did I do? I went back to basics. I started crafting again. I started writing again. I realized I had been drifting through my life and it was time to start taking real, tangible steps toward what I wanted to achieve.

So even though January is already almost over (it’s true what they say, time flies faster as you get older), I decided to hold myself accountable and write up my writing goals for 2022.

So let’s get to it.

Writing Goals for 2022

Goal One: Finish Writing a Novel

For as long as I could remember I’ve loved reading and telling stories. I loved (and still love) disappearing into different worlds that were created from words on a page. And as someone who has always loved reading and writing you’d think I’d have at least one finished project. I’ve come close a few times. I once even printed a project out for editing, but I’ve never fully completed a novel. I have plenty of works in progress yet for some reason I have never been able to see any of them through. I’ve wanted to publish a novel for a long time and I think 2022 is finally the year I come close to that goal. I may not publish this year, but I’ll at the very least finish writing and editing at least one project.

I’m already making good progress with my current WIP, Show Me Your Teeth, a novel about queer witches and vampires that explores self-identity and found family. I’m about 12,000 words in and I’m really excited about the direction it’s going.

Once it’s finished and edited, I hope to query agents and publishers. I know that can be a long and tedious process so I’m not putting any pressure on myself if I don’t get to that step this year.

Goal Two: Finish Writing a Screenplay

Watching movies, along with reading, has been a long-time hobby of mine. Just like books, I’ve always loved disappearing into the world created by filmmakers. Sitting in the theater as the lights go down and your senses are filled with blaring sound and bright images on the screen is an experience like no other. To me, that’s my church.

Movies have been there for me in some of my darkest times and will always be there when I need comfort. I love the feeling of community when it comes to cinema and have always wanted to leave my contribution so that I might inspire someone the way filmmakers have inspired me.

It’s taken some time to get reacquainted with the screenwriting format but I’m making good progress on a horror feature inspired by a true crime that occurred in my hometown. Screenwriting comes with its own set of challenges different from most other writing I’ve done which makes it a nice refresher if I get writer’s block on my novel. 

Goal Three: Get Paid to Write

Now, I know I said I didn’t expect to publish my novel this year and same goes for my screenplay. I don’t expect to sell either this year so this goal is a different type of getting paid to write.

Other than freelance social media work, I’ve never had a full-time paying writing job. The older I get the more I realize I’ve been too comfortable staying in the same industry, too comfortable staying with what I know. I haven’t truly gone after my desired career.

I enjoy challenging myself and learning new skills so I decided it’s finally time to leave the service industry. It’s time to stop letting imposter syndrome and the fear of failure rule my decisions. I’ll never have the career I want if I don’t try.

So, if you know of any job openings let ya girl know! 😅 I’m like the Liam Neeson of writing. I’ve got a unique set of skills.

Goal Four: Commit to Blogging

I love blogging. I’ve had several blogs about various subjects over the years but something always comes up or I burn myself out trying to keep to an unrealistic schedule.

I read blogs about blogging and learned everything I could to make sure my blog was as optimized as possible. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure everything was perfect. I took personal projects that were supposed to be fun and turned them into a less-fun chore.

This year I’m determined to do things differently. I want to keep blogging fun and less like a job. I’m going to write about my interests instead of what I think other people will be interested in. I don’t have a schedule or a content calendar planned out but I have plenty of ideas and I can’t wait to write them.

And there you have it.

Those are my four writing goals for 2022. I know three isn’t a lot but they’re straightforward so they should be easy to keep, right? I’m looking forward to pushing my skills as a writer and *fingers-crossed* making some strides toward my career goals. Baby steps are better than no steps at all.

Follow along with my journey on twitter or check back here at the end of the month to read my January Book Round-up!

Talk to you soon!

Ilona