My 2022 Writing Plan…
Member Blog by Jill Smith
Each author has their own approach to goal-setting. GCWA member and Ten Penners
Coordinator, Jill Smith, outlines her goals for her 2022 writing year here.
My original plan was written twelve days into the new year. I decided not to delay my
Writing Goals for this year. I like to be able to refer to my list and tick things off as I
go, or at least remind myself what I want to accomplish throughout 2022. I’ve already
accomplished some of these goals or made progress into them. This is a mid-
February update.
Writing Goal 1
To limber up my writing muscles, I’ll attack the 12 Days of Christmas writing
challenge set by Melissa Gijsbers, as outlined below. I’ve completed stories for the
first nine prompts. They don’t have to be long stories. I’ve enjoyed this challenge and
think you will too.
Link to https://authorjillsmith.wordpress.com/2022/02/10/12-days-of-
christmas-writing-challenge-prompts/ for Jill’s blog
Writing Goal 2
The Ten Penners have a massive year planned. I’m now the coordinator of this sub-
group of the Gold Coast Writers’ Association (GCWA). Our contributors all need to
be financial members of the GCWA. I’ll be editing stories written by my fellow writers
and providing critique feedback to them. We’ve set ourselves a deadline for one or
two of our stories to be completed and edited by Easter. I’ve completed my two
stories titled, Crystal Ball Witch Hunt and Poo Boom Cat.
Once all the authors in our group have submitted their stories and we’ve completed a
first pass edit, we’ll work on the order of the stories. Then we’ll do a more
comprehensive edit of all the stories to make sure they are suitable for our age group
of ten-to-twelve-year-olds, and professional in their appearance with correct
formatting. We are also planning to create some artwork to go with each story.
Currently, our group consists of Jill Smith, Marion Martineer, Kate (PEPPER)
Russell, Jennifer Scicluna, Michelle Calder, Lindy Standage, Julie Baythorpe, and
Elli Housden. That is only eight members. We hope two new people can join us to
make us once again The Ten Penners. We’ve had male members in the past; in
Shock, Horror, Gasp, Malcolm Kearton and Robert Young contributed, so we are not
averse to new GCWA members joining us.
What a team we are! Lindy and Marion have been in all three of our previous books,
Shock, Horror, Gasp, Fan-tas-tic-al Tales, and Mystery, Mayhem & Magic. Kate, and
I have been in the latter two. Julie Baythorpe, Elli Housdon, both had stories in
Mystery, Mayhem & Magic. The other contributors have either left the group or
passed on. Louisa Wright also added to Mystery, Mayhem & Magic with her Utopia
stories.
Judy Wollin was a valuable member of The Ten Penners during 2019, however both
she and Louisa Wright are now involved with the GCWA Committee and find they
are time poor, so have left our group.
Writing Goal 3
Return to my Sci-Fi manuscript, the third book in The Ancient Alien Series, called
Travellers. I’ll try a program called Draft to Digital that Kate used recently to
produce her latest book, The Players. I plan to get my cover created by Marion’s
daughter, Starla. In my mind’s eye, the cover is a large, often augmented spaceship
with generational additions, silhouetted above an orange planet. My old laptop died
at the beginning of the year and the lost files were recovered by my whizz computer
guy. Thank goodness! I did also back up this manuscript by email, while doing
NaNoWriMo last November as I was editing it.
Writing Goal 4
Continue to post a daily blog to build my author platform, and generate interest in my
writings, books I’ve read, etc. On my old computer, I reached 123 posts in a row. On
this new machine, I’m at 14 – so that’s 147 consecutive days. I don’t want to break
this record. (Although I think the consecutive run may have been broken a bit when
the Australian Open Tennis was on!) I’m getting more followers and a few comments;
not as many as I’d like, so feel free.
Writing Goal 5
Camp NaNoWriMo in April and July, edit and fine tune another, almost finished,
manuscript, Microworld, which is a Young Adults Sci-Fi. Use Draft to Digital to
create this book.
Writing Goal 6
Again, use Draft to Digital (which I’ve yet to download) if my previous efforts have
been successful. The Microworld cover hasn’t fully developed in my mind yet. I’ve a
couple of images; either a domed city, or an underwater domed city.
Writing Goal 7
Download Draft to Digital.
Writing Goal 8
Continue to enter writing competitions. I missed the deadline for a competition for a
Writing Masterclass with Fiona McIntosh. Never mind, there are many other
wonderful opportunities.
Writing Goal 9
I’ve decided not to go to the Boonah Writers Festival. Instead, I have set my sights
on the Brisbane Writers Festival at midyear.
Writing Goal 10
Continue to write book reviews for those who ask me for a minimal fee. Continue to
post reviews on Goodreads for the books I enjoy reading.
Main Writing Goal for 2022
To continue to improve my writing, editing, and creative skills. The Ten Penners
anthology, to be launched in October, needs to be illustrated and we are challenging
ourselves to do sketches to go with our stories. Some of the ladies are accomplished
artists. I’m not in their league but have doodled images for our previous books. I’m
willing to have a go.
There may be many more things that crop up during the year, but for now, this
list is enough to use as a guide. Happy reading, writing, reviewing friends. – Jill
Like to know more about The Ten Penners https://thetenpenners.wordpress.com/
Jill Smith – Contributor
