Getting SMART

After the end of November, the NaNo forums turn towards plans for the future: outlining next year's novel, preparing for Script Frenzy, and editing first drafts down to something readable.  While browsing these boards I found this great idea.

"Round of Words in 80 days" is all about flexibility.  It's sub-titled "The Writing Challenge That Knows You Have A Life" and the one thing you're NOT supposed to do is put that life on hold and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! for a week, a month or whatever.  Rather, the participants are asked to choose their own goals, that they personally feel can be accomplished in eighty days (roughly 11.5 weeks).

When setting goals, I have always been told that they should be SMART, that is:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Timed

(There are other versions of this acronym.)

I can easily decide on a goal that's specific, measurable and timed.  I can even sign up to groups where we all have the same specific, measurable and timed goal.  My big stumbling block has always been those two in the middle.  Achievable and Realistic.  Because, like many people, I am absurdly optimistic about my own abilities.  Despite frequent failures, I persist in setting unrealistic and unachievable goals for myself.  All very "never-say-die" and all that, but there is a point at which optimism becomes downright pig-headedness.

And so, this year, I am not going to participate in FAWM or 50/90.  Although I'll be checking in on Script Frenzy for the advice and encouragement, I won't be pushing myself to reach the standard goal of 100 pages.  And as for NaNoWriMo: again, I'm going to take the spirit of the occasion on board, but I'll be spending 80 days from early October to late December outlining and drafting a complete novel, rather than counting words and madly dashing through November.

Interested?  Why not join in?  The "Linky" thing is a bit confusing (at least, it was for me) but if you get stuck you can leave a comment on the blog.  This is the first round EVER so don't expect a flashy, polished performance.  But if RoW 80 becomes popular and famous, won't it be nice to be able to say, "I was there when it started"?

Now, my only reservation about having eighty days to play with is that somewhere in my head a sneaky little voice says, "Eighty days?  That's ages!  No need to hurry, plenty of time!"  So I have also signed up to 750.com, which encourages writing every day.  The words are counted, but kept private.  So you can choose to ramble on about bunny rabbits, or work on your doctorate thesis, and you are the only one who will know.  Of course, if you're doing a doctorate thesis about bunny rabbits, then you can do both!  Lucky you!

The purpose of 750.com is to get the creative juices flowing.  Seven hundred and fifty words is not actually that much, but once you've sat down and started writing it's so much easier to keep writing.  There's no such thing as "playing catch-up" or a "word-count goal", the idea is just to get into the habit of writing every day.

I'm putting some thought into what would make a SMART goal for my first round of RoW 80.  There's no pressure, I've got time to really think it over.  Isn't that nice?