As usual, this time of year, I’ve been looking forward to the Summer of Fiction Writing over at Holly’s writing classes. It’s a goal-oriented time for writers. You make goals. You break them down into manageable pieces You achieve them. It’s social, and it’s a great reset for all those goals that look so massive before you start.

I don’t know where the glitch in my brain came from, but I really did believe that the event started on June first.

I mean… I REALLY believed SOFW started on June first. I made the bullet journal spreads, and broke down the steps to my goals, and… the first “Hooray, SOFW” post I did… uhm… I’m a few weeks early.

I didn’t want to lose momentum, so I just started, anyway. It’s a little geeky, but you know… better early than on time. Or… something like that.

I have a revision I want to finish, and I’m starting a new first draft. I’m counting each and every word I write. And the goal? Well, it’s probably somewhere in the range of 100,000 words this summer.

Is that really what a thousand words a day all summer long adds up to?

It is, actually. And that’s what the SOFW is all about. Little steps toward a big project. Sustainable work toward a career. Good habits, and good mental health.

It’s not a headlong plunge, the way Nanowrimo is, and you start from wherever you’re standing. I have better luck with it than with Nano for that reason. Summer of Fiction Writing lets me set my own goals, based on where I am, so I don’t wind up setting something aside to start something else.

As always, you’re welcome to join in. Happy SOFW.