Writerly (and other) Goals for 2015

Well, it's just about time for me to go back to reality, back to teaching. We start up again on Tuesday.

This break has been really good for me. I've spent a good chunk of my time there, in my home office, with the cats :-) Pictured above is Rascal, napping on my desk. I've also spent a good deal of time focusing on my health, which is absolutely essential.

I've been thinking about what I want to do this semester, and this year, and most of it centers around just finding balance, time, and energy to do the most important things. This year, of course, I want to focus on keeping my writing routine. My goal, by 2016, is to have a good draft of my next project in the works. During the spring semester, I'm teaching less than usual (yay) which should allow for the time to focus on writing. I'm going to dedicate my mornings to writing. I hope to average about a poem a week this year, so that would leave me with 52 to write.

I'm not so worried about submissions at the moment to be honest, though I want to continue to get work out there, it's not going to be an absolute priority. My goal is to send out a packet of some sort once per week, but to keep the focus on generating new work, at least for now. That might change once I have a decent body of work completed.

I'd like to continue my reviewing, because reviewing works, I think, helps me rethink my own.

I've also got the big hurdle of AWP coming up. I'll be moderating a panel about revisionist myth that I'm really excited about, but nervous, too. Travel is difficult on my body, though as long as I give myself enough time, I should be able to manage. So my goal is to have a successful AWP, to make connections, and to leave inspired.

And, I'd like to focus on health, to do everything I can to provide my body with the best environment for healing and strength. Right now, I'm working on building up muscle strength. I'm also changing my diet, trying to get more protein through supplements and natural, vegetarian sources. So, while most people resolve to lose weight in the new year, I'm resolving to put some on :-)

So, in a nutshell, here are my goals:

1. Write 52 new poems
2. Submit, but not obsessively.
3. Continue reviewing. Aim for 12 reviews.
4. Survive AWP
5. Avoid back surgery!

They're not ridiculously ambitious, but I think they're realistic. Let's see how I do in 2015.