The Weekly R.A.P #4
Writing Goals Check-In for June 19, 2023
Welcome to the 4th Weekly RAP of the HIBOU’s 100 Days of Summer!
Reminder: The Weekly RAP is a gentle tool for staying accountable to your writing goals. If you set a goal with us in the comments of last week’s newsletter, check in about how it went by adding a comment! If you’re just joining us this week, ignore the first two questions of the RAP sheet and just set a goal for next week.1
So, how did this week go?
THE WEEKLY R.A.P #4 — June 19, 2023
RECKONING—If you set a writing goal in the comment section of HIBOU’s June 11th post for The Weekly RAP #3,2 did you achieve your goal? Yes? No? Partially?
ANALYSIS–What went well this week? What was a challenge? What insights did you learn about your writing this week? Looking ahead to next week, can you repeat what went well? If the coming week has similar challenges to last week, how might you adjust your writing schedule or your goal? Are there any new challenges to take into account this week?
PLAN–What is your writing goal for the coming week (6/5to 6/11)? What is your plan to get it done? How will you reward yourself for the work you complete? A friendly reminder that smart goals are (s)pecific, (m)easurable, (a)chievable, (r)ealistic, and (t)ime-bound.3
Copy and paste the template above into the comments, replace the questions with your answers, then hit post and check out what other HIBOU subscribers are up to and cheer them on!4
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Remember to be kind to yourself if you didn’t make your goal!
Today is the start of a fresh, new week!
You might also want to read “Writing Accountability Experiment,” the first post in the series.
Click the link if you need to refresh your memory!
Holy cow it’s JUNE so I better get started may express your frustration clearly, but a smart goal makes the action more concrete. : By June 11, I will get create a working synopsis for part two by working for a half hour every morning.
Because this is about us not me, my weekly RAP response is posted in the comments. And I promise I won’t use this post as an excuse to post Shiloh pictures every week. Unless you want that. In which case, I’m happy to oblige.
CATHY’S WEEKLY RAP FOR JUNE 19, 2023
RECKONING: Hours—I did about twenty percent of what I said I would do. Type and tweak draft 26: About half done. Start chapter 27: Bwahaha. Pivot should I bring home a fur beast: I don't mean to brag, but I totally nailed the pivot should we bring home a fur beast.
ANALYSIS: Well, shit! It's funny because adopt a dog was on my 100 days of summer list, but in a by-the-end of the summer way not a straight out of the gate way. I've never raised a puppy, and I'm feeling in love and also in over my head. I would say I haven't written since we brought her home, but that's not true. I managed to write (albeit late) my final Mood Tools post--https://hibou.substack.com/p/the-rest-of-you--and I finalized my query letter and synopsis for a deadline for a pitch fest, so I proved it is possible to work around raising a puppy.
PLAN: It's pretty clear that I will be working on a puppy-doro schedule, so I'm happy I did a reasonable goal for 100 days of summer. The morning routine will totally take care of itself. I'll get up at the crack of dawn for puppy botty break and then write for a couple hours before breakfast. For this first week, I'll aim for 10 hours total and set my sights on finishing the type and tweak draft for chapter 26. I feel like for a first full week with a puppy this is a stretch goal. So 10 hours and finish 26. Given that I got through half of 26 in less than 10 hours last week, I think that's reasonable.
RECKONING: I finished my revision! I do, however, need to check on some of the physics in my manuscript. Gah. But I did finish, in one big final push on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
ANALYSIS: I feel pretty good about the book, and considering I began making notes for it in January of 2018, and kept playing hooky from it, I'm very satisfied it's finally done.
PLAN: Now I turn my attention to the edits for the novel that comes out in April of 2024!