Writing Projects and Goals For 2021

A couple of weeks ago I read an article on line “Why Throwing out the ‘Old Bananas’ is Imperative to Your Success”  by Gabrielle Garrett.

According the Gabrielle you’re only suppose to have 3 or 4 projects (ripe bananas) that you are currently working on on your desk.  If you have more than that you are putting those projects on the back burner and they are rotting. They need to be removed because they are taking up space in your mind and on your desk.

I totally get that.

My office is filled with rotten bananas.  Unfinished novels and short stories.  Non fiction books.  Essays.

She’s right. They are clogging my mind and office.

After reading the article I decided to put all of the files in my filing cabinet (children’s book ideas, essay ideas, novel ideas) in a bin and put them in the basement.

I had essay and short story files that I worked on once in awhile on my desk and on my coffee table.  I picked out two that I wanted to work on and I put the rest in two small bins with a list of what files are in the bin.

The four writing projects I choose to work on are as follows:

Jane

I started writing thos novel for NaNoWriMo last November, but didn’t finish the 1st draft.

My goal is to have the first draft finished by March 31, 2021.

5 Minute Memoir

I’ve been working on this essay to submit to Writer’s Digest for the last two years.  (really rotten banana!)  I keep changing direction and never finish.

My goal is to have this finished and submitted by March 31, 2021.

If You Didn’t Like The Way The Election Turned Out

This article idea came to me after President Biden won the election.  I have a bunch of notes, but I need to complete the essay.

I would like to have the 1st draft of this done by March 15, 2021 and a market in mind to submit it to.

100 Items In 30 Days

As I was letting go of 100 items last October I wondered why I wasn’t writing a book about it.

I was thinking about writing a Kindle book.  Actually 3 books.  I don’t know anything about Kindle so I don’t know if it’s going to work or not, but I want to see what my options are. 

Book 1    100 items in 30 days

Book 2    The next 100

Book 3     Decluttering your work life

The first handwritten draft of book 1 is almost done.  Book 2 and 3 are a bunch of notes in a file.

My goal for Book 1 is the to finish the handwritten draft by March 1st and the typed draft by March 31 and to read five books on Kindle publishing.

Wow!  I have a direction.

Now I have to come up with a schedule.  I’ll have to think about this for awhile.  I’m not sure what is going to work, but I will figure something out.

I sold the end table last week.  It was just a dumping ground for my unfinished writing projects.  

I replaced it with the six cube organizer pictured below.   A cube for each of my writing projects. 

It’s not organized the way I want it to be, but for now it works.

My office isn’t completely organized.  I’ll write about it when is it.

I feel good about my four projects and my direction.

I’ll keep you posted!