The Road Just Traveled By
2011 is off to a great start. So far, I am undefeated on the following Wii games for the year: Just Dance 2, Jeopardy, and Wii Sports Bowling. So while I am riding high on a wave of accomplishments, let's see how I lived up to my last year's resolutions.
Last April, I wrote a list of belated resolutions for writing and travel goals and posted it as a blog in order to hold myself to their pursuit by making their existence public knowledge. Everyone was fascinated, of course, and their happiness increased immensely as a result. In the spirit of advancing my goals for myself, I'm not going to wait until April of this year to make new resolutions. Instead, it's time for a quick review of how I measured up, and then an updated list of what to pursue next. To keep it interesting, perhaps I'll add some thoughts as to the viability of resolutions for humanity, and what it means that we drive ourselves for self-improvement. Or perhaps not.
Here's the list, as written last year, with the results I know you've been eagerly anticipating.
1) WRITING
a) Within the next six months, I will take a class on technical writing or copy-editing.
i) In October, I did take a one day class through City College of San Francisco's Adult Education Program on an Introduction to Copy Editing/Proofreading. There were only two of us in the class, but it was a useful discussion with a professional free-lance editor about the business--apparently there is a network of copy-editors in the Bay Area with meetings and everything, although he didn't specify if there are also neat decoder rings or secret symbols.
ii) On a somewhat unrelated note, I took a five week class on an Introduction to Short Fiction, through the same program though City College. That leads us to:
b) I will write two short stories within the next two months.
i) Success! Mostly. I wrote a short piece of flash fiction for a magazine contest that promptly vanished into the ether of all such pieces. The second story I wrote wasn't within the two month time frame, and isn't not finished, but I did produce two drafts of a story in the Short Fiction class that I feel have a core of possibility to them and will continue to polish.
c) I will continue to maintain topic-focused blogs at least every other day.
i) I have not strictly adhered to this schedule, but then again, no one is paying me to do so, and I do feel like I have produced a decent amount of writing.
d) I will research careers in editing and publishing.
i) I've not really pursued this with much gusto. The class on copyediting/proofreading was interesting, but I wasn't seriously considering following up on it at the time. I signed up for the class because the class sounded intriguing and I like working with words. However, now that questions of marriage and buying homes and other such big thoughts are taking on a more tangible character, I'm feeling more driven to look into this. I've found a website that seems to allow you to apply for free-lance writing work, which could be good side work and an introduction to that world.
My new writing goals are to write a two short stories and/or three poems a month, and to actually submit them.
2) TRAVEL
a) I will set up a separate savings account for travel, into which I will put 1/2 of all my deposits to savings accounts.
i) Done. This was perhaps too easy a step to really be considered a completed resolution. But then again, I hadn't done it before I wrote it down as a goal.
b) I will travel to Mexico this year.
i) This didn't happen last year. But I have bought tickets for the first week of March, so that's a good sign. I'll be going out in a lagoon, in a small boat, with the chance to see whales. That plan speaks for itself, I think.
c) I will travel to Toronto this year.
i) Done! My new passport was put to use, and other than Toronto's decision to shut down a major expressway out of the city on the very weekend we were traveling there, it was a lovely trip.
d) I will travel to New York City in the next three years.
e) I will go back to Europe in the next five years.
i) These last two are still long-term goals, yet to be planned, so I will not comment on them here. I simply include them again so I don't forget about them. That would be embarrassing.
All in all, I'm pleased with the results. I didn't get everything completed fully, but as everyone knows, anyone who fully lives up to every single aspect of their resolutions is just showing off.
Last April, I wrote a list of belated resolutions for writing and travel goals and posted it as a blog in order to hold myself to their pursuit by making their existence public knowledge. Everyone was fascinated, of course, and their happiness increased immensely as a result. In the spirit of advancing my goals for myself, I'm not going to wait until April of this year to make new resolutions. Instead, it's time for a quick review of how I measured up, and then an updated list of what to pursue next. To keep it interesting, perhaps I'll add some thoughts as to the viability of resolutions for humanity, and what it means that we drive ourselves for self-improvement. Or perhaps not.
Here's the list, as written last year, with the results I know you've been eagerly anticipating.
1) WRITING
a) Within the next six months, I will take a class on technical writing or copy-editing.
i) In October, I did take a one day class through City College of San Francisco's Adult Education Program on an Introduction to Copy Editing/Proofreading. There were only two of us in the class, but it was a useful discussion with a professional free-lance editor about the business--apparently there is a network of copy-editors in the Bay Area with meetings and everything, although he didn't specify if there are also neat decoder rings or secret symbols.
ii) On a somewhat unrelated note, I took a five week class on an Introduction to Short Fiction, through the same program though City College. That leads us to:
b) I will write two short stories within the next two months.
i) Success! Mostly. I wrote a short piece of flash fiction for a magazine contest that promptly vanished into the ether of all such pieces. The second story I wrote wasn't within the two month time frame, and isn't not finished, but I did produce two drafts of a story in the Short Fiction class that I feel have a core of possibility to them and will continue to polish.
c) I will continue to maintain topic-focused blogs at least every other day.
i) I have not strictly adhered to this schedule, but then again, no one is paying me to do so, and I do feel like I have produced a decent amount of writing.
d) I will research careers in editing and publishing.
i) I've not really pursued this with much gusto. The class on copyediting/proofreading was interesting, but I wasn't seriously considering following up on it at the time. I signed up for the class because the class sounded intriguing and I like working with words. However, now that questions of marriage and buying homes and other such big thoughts are taking on a more tangible character, I'm feeling more driven to look into this. I've found a website that seems to allow you to apply for free-lance writing work, which could be good side work and an introduction to that world.
My new writing goals are to write a two short stories and/or three poems a month, and to actually submit them.
2) TRAVEL
a) I will set up a separate savings account for travel, into which I will put 1/2 of all my deposits to savings accounts.
i) Done. This was perhaps too easy a step to really be considered a completed resolution. But then again, I hadn't done it before I wrote it down as a goal.
b) I will travel to Mexico this year.
i) This didn't happen last year. But I have bought tickets for the first week of March, so that's a good sign. I'll be going out in a lagoon, in a small boat, with the chance to see whales. That plan speaks for itself, I think.
c) I will travel to Toronto this year.
i) Done! My new passport was put to use, and other than Toronto's decision to shut down a major expressway out of the city on the very weekend we were traveling there, it was a lovely trip.
d) I will travel to New York City in the next three years.
e) I will go back to Europe in the next five years.
i) These last two are still long-term goals, yet to be planned, so I will not comment on them here. I simply include them again so I don't forget about them. That would be embarrassing.
All in all, I'm pleased with the results. I didn't get everything completed fully, but as everyone knows, anyone who fully lives up to every single aspect of their resolutions is just showing off.
Labels: goals, the future, writing
posted by Devin at 10:11 PM
2 Comments:
There were a lot of words in this post, but the only one I read was "marriage". Did you think you would just slip that in there, and no one would notice?
Ben: yes, there are a lot of words in this post. I'm practicing for when I am paid by the word.
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