2020- The Reading and Writing Plans
When It Comes Down to Vision… This is Mine
I’ve been off of Medium for 5 days. This was not an expected break and I can honestly say it wasn’t a break I enjoyed. It was a break mandated to me by illness. Somehow having the flu and writing isn’t compatible.
I think the biggest lesson from this break was to have 3–5 drafts saved and ready to go.
However, it was a break that has let me take some time to look at my writing and reading goals for the next 12 months.
So, in order to break the ice from the break (for me, writing is hard if not done daily. Writing again after five days always feels like doing an hour of cardio without warming up) and to make myself accountable to anyone who is kind enough to read my work, I decided to share what 2020 will look like.
The Content Planning Tool that I Use
I am going against the grain here, but I don’t use a traditional content calendar.
While this is something I will be considering more as the weeks go on into 2020, I feel comfortable with my own system.
My system is finding 10 minutes a day to generate at least 10 topics to write about. It keeps the juices flowing and serves as an ongoing idea board.
While coming up with ideas, I look at past posts (can I recycle a post from my blog for another source? What else do I have to say about this topic?), upcoming events and any possible series I might want to write. I also see if anything jumps out at me- either in response to what I’ve read, come across or just have a burning desire to talk about.
Occasionally I will write dates by the ideas. These dates are not set in stone, but they are helpful when contemplating what to write.
I find that writing an in depth calendar takes part of the joy from what I’m doing and if I find something that I really want to dive into, it delays that time frame because I feel tied down.
So a fluid calendar is more my style.
To Be Written…
I have a few clear goals for my work here on Medium:
- Publish at least 1 article or poem per day, preferably both.
- Pitch to at least 2 publications a week- I have been given an opportunity to contribute to some amazing publications. It’s time to make that more of a priority
- Publish at least 1–2 pieces a week for my own publication
The key here is consistency and appreciating all of the opportunities I have on this platform. I plan to make the most of them in 2020.
Octoberdaydreams.net
I have a blog outside of Medium. I’ve decided to change the focus of it slightly to avoid duplicate content. It’s where I talk more about simplicity and living as a minimalist after initial decluttering. I also want to give myself some time this year to be here. So I will be looking into posting here 2x/week.
NaNoPoMo
This event happens traditionally in April each year and I’ve never done it before. I want to get back into the habit of daily writing a poem or two. Poetry is originally what brought me to this passion and I refuse to let my voice die in this genre.
Other writing
I’ve been wanting to write an ebook for a while. 2020 seems like a good year to do that.
On Reading
I recently overhauled my room and realized how many books I actually have. So the focus this year is on reading my shelves.
However, I want to accomplish two goals:
- 52in52 for Non-Fiction
I’ve realized this year how much I enjoy nonfiction. It informs, inspires and entertains. If this is a genre I want to keep writing in, I feel learning the tools is in order.
2. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.
This man will always have my literary heart, even if we don’t write the same things. I started this series in 2017 and got sidetracked. At this point, a good do over is in order.
3. Continue the practice of reading 1 poem and at least 10-15 stories on Medium per day.
Before I ever started writing on Medium, I loved this platform. I loved reading and being inspired by others. That is a trend I do not see changing in 2020. It is a practice that I will be continuing throughout the year.
So that’s my plan. Simple yet effective. Please join me on the journey towards the best writing year I’ve ever had.
Thank you to Helen Cassidy Page . A few days ago I saw her 2020 list which in turn inspired me to write this one.
