Writing Goals

I’m currently reading a book called Time to Write by Kelly L. Stone.  The synopsis on the back reads:

In Time to Write, more than 100 professional writers from across genres–including [names of lots of authors omitted]–share their secrets to finding time to write.  And if they can find the time to write, then so can you.

As the lack of posts on this blog can attest, I am having difficulty finding time to write.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing–I do, very much–it’s that I’m swamped with labwork and so writing gets pushed to the back-burner.

Now, don’t get all excited thinking I’m suddenly going to become an extremely prolific blogger.  Because, I’ve been thinking about it, and there’s one bit of writing that I really should start doing.

I need to start writing my thesis.

Just the thought of it scares me.  It seems like such a big project!  Much bigger than any writing project I’ve ever tackled before.  So, I’ve started breaking it down into smaller, more manageable pieces.  Thinking about it as a series of smaller projects has really helped with the anxiety I’ve been feeling about it.

Time to Write recommends establishing writing goals with short-term and long-term goals.  Here are the goals I’ve written

Long Term Goal:  Submit Thesis to Committe
Completion Date:  Sept. 12

Short Term Goal:  Write Introduction chapter
Completion Date:  June 12

Mini-Objective 1:  To spend one hour a day taking notes for intro

Mini-Objective 2:  Spend 10 min a day writing (to be increased as time progresses)

Mini-Objective 3:  Read two papers a day

Now, I don’t think I’m going to be able to finish writing my thesis by Sept. if I only write for 10 minutes a day until then.  I know I’m going to have to ramp up at some point.  I’m counting on two things:

1. If I start by making it a habit to write 10 minutes a day, then it will not be too difficult to gradually increase that to a much longer time.
2. Sometime in the next couple of months, I will be finished with my experiments and it will then be my job to write as much as a possibly can every day.

I know there will be a time when all I do all day long is write my thesis.  I expect this time to come around July or so which is why I’ve given myself until mid-June to finish the Intro chapter.

I have no idea how well this will work, but I’m willing to give it a try.