Beautiful People #1: 2016 Writerly Resolutions and Goals

23:11 Cilla 2 Comments


Beautiful People is a linkup hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. It’s aimed at writers so they can answer the questions about their characters and their books. It’s designed to help you get to know your book better! (And also give your followers a sneak peek of your works-in-progresses.) You can check out the official page (FAQs and examples and archive of previous lists) if you wish.

Yesterday I had a moment of clarity with a story I've been carrying around in my head for a long time now, so I've decided I'm going to really really work on it this year. I've seen this link-up while floating around the blogosphere before, and it looks like a lot of fun! So here we go :D

1. What were your writing achievements last year?
After pretty much pantsing it for Camp Nano the year before (and basically falling into a slump two weeks in because I need plans), I downloaded yWriter5 in March and started a skeleton for my novel. I have an idea of my characters and the world they live, and that's a lot more of a start than what I've had in ages.

2. Tell us about your top priority writing project for this year?
I have just one: I want to finish at least the first draft of the aforementioned novel. It's going to be hard since I'm starting grad school next month. However, I'm hoping that if I stay organised enough, I'll be able to manage it. 

3. List 5 areas you’d like to work the hardest to improve this year.
I only have three, though the first one is a huge problem when it comes to my writing. 
- I would like to set aside time regularly to write this original fiction and not only fanfiction, which has been my main writing outlet for a while now. 
- I also would like to work on my world-building. My descriptions of settings tend to be rather convoluted, I feel. Given my novel is going to take place in a futuristic environment, it's going to be important to be able to paint a picture or the readers.
- Lastly, I need to be less afraid of research. The story I'm thinking of is going to fall under science fiction, and I feel like I know nothing about the technology I'm about to use/invent as plot devices. The idea of having to dig into it has been rather intimidating, which might be why I've been putting off writing it for so long!

4. Are you participating in any writing challenges?
Well, I don't think I can cope with NaNo in any form. I've tried it twice and I ended up wanting to cry every time I opened a Word document. xD I don't really know any other writing challenge at the moment!

5. What’s your critique partner/beta reader situation like and do you have plans to expand this year?
I don't have a formal critique/beta situation, but I have a good friend who's also a writer. We've practically been writing together for years now, so I feel comfortable bouncing ideas back and forth with her. I don't have actual plans to expand, though if I do meet people whom I trust enough to share my writing with, that would be nice!

6. Do you have plans to read any writer-related books this year? Or are there specific books you want to read for research?
None that I can think of off the top of my head. I have a few writer-related books on my shelves, but I haven't read them in yeaaars. Really, I'm just hoping to read more books in general this year, and perhaps diversify my choices in terms of genre as well as actual diversity to broaden my literary horizons. 

7. Pick one character you want to get to know better, and how are you going to achieve this?
I have two main characters, and I need to understand their motivations better. With characters, I have found that the best way for me to understand them is to have a profile and then just write them a lot. So, I'm going to work on detailing their traits and histories, write an anecdote or two about their lives, then dive into the plot.

8. Do you plan to edit or query, and what’s your plan of attack?
I'm going to edit the draft I already have from my NaNo experience, but that's all the editing I plan on doing. I need to have a finished draft first before I start picking it apart; otherwise I'd never have a draft!

9. Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”  What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?
I'd like to see more female friendships highlighted. I haven't read a lot of sci-fi or dystopian YA where the heroine has close girl friends; at least, the ones I have read seem to always have a loner leading lady with a love interest. Also, I'd like to see more sci-fi or fantasy stories set in my side of the world. It's not quite a hole in the market if you consider the local market, but it never hurts to have more diversity.

10. What do you hope to have achieved by the end of 2016?
All I want is to finish the first draft of this novel and not want to rip it to shreds. I have loved writing fanfictions and it's helped me grow in terms of writing characters, but I want to spend more time making my own sandbox, instead of playing in someone else's so much. That is all. 


Let's talk!
Do you have any writing goals or resolutions for 2016?

2 comments:

  1. Jess @ Fairytales and Glitter18 January 2016 at 13:19

    I would love to be able to write a story. Good luck on your writing this year. :)
    #Commenting365

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

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