A New Writing Goal For 2013

It's the fourth day of this new year and this is my fourth post. I said I wasn't planning on blogging every day this year, and I'm still not. I vowed (more to myself than publicly) that I'd only post when I have (what I deem to be) a good idea for something to write about, and/or whenever something of significance (the birth of our child, for example) happens that's blog-worthy. It just so happens I've started this year off with a good (or at least decent) idea every day so far. It's just coincidence – don't read too much into it.

I do, however, want to set a new writing goal for myself this year; because in so doing last year, I had one of the most prolific years of my life in regards to creative writing. If my count is correct, I either wrote or rewrote – and posted – 86 original stories of varying lengths during 2012. That's astounding to me! Granted, a good number of the stories were drabbles (100-word micro-short stories), but those pieces still require creative ideas in order to flesh them out even briefly. I'd like to focus even more on creative writing in my blogging this year than last. I realize that may turn off some of my loyal readers, as my fiction isn't necessarily the most-read or best-received material I put forth. But I enjoy creating characters, situations, and especially dialogue, and that isn't going to stop anytime soon, even if no one reads what I write.

With that being said, I am going to set myself a "number goal" of original stories to write throughout the course of this year. Initially, I'd thought about setting the bar at 100 stories. But then I counted last year's stories and realized I'd almost achieved that number in 2012 without even trying too hard. And I want to write more, not the same amount. So...with you, dear Readers, as my witnesses, I am going to make it my goal to write a total of 200 new stories in 2013.

Here are the guidelines I'll set for myself. The stories can be as short or as long as I need them to be to get my point across, but each one must have a bare minimum of 100 words (drabble-length). The stories must be fiction, although – like a select few of my stories – they can be based in part on real-life people or situations. The stories can be ones that I've started but not finished in the past, but they can't be rewrites of old stories (as many of my earlier ones were last year). And last but not least, I have to number the stories as I go, so that (you and) I know how many I've written and therefore how many I have left to write.

This is definitely an ambitious goal, but one that I can achieve over the next 361 days. Bear with me, dear Reader. The stories might not always be to your liking, but I encourage you to always give them a try anyway. You might be surprised what I can come up with when I put my mind to it. I've been known to write love stories that are every bit as sweet as my horror stories are gruesome. Whenever possible, I will try to inject humor into the stories. Twisted humor, perhaps at times, but humor nonetheless.

Will I still blog about random things that pique my interest? Yes. Frequently. Will I still blog about things that are going on in my life? Yes. Absolutely. Will I keep asking obvious questions and answering them myself? Yes. Definitely.

I hope you will embark on this journey with me, and that you will enjoy it. If not, I will still write. It's ingrained in me; I have no choice but to comply.