I believe in accountability, in goal-setting, and in a proper fusion of the two. To that end, I’m hereby putting out into the world my writing goals for 2018.

• First: I plan to write six original short stories this year (including the current one, “How the Old Ones Saved Christmas”).
• Second: I plan to revise six stories that need heavy revision before heading into the wilds. For example, “Burying Uncle Albert” requires a heavy restructuring to rebuild its central theme and a major subplot.
• Third: I plan to write three non-fiction science articles to publish on my science blog, The Penguin Scientific. That’s an average of one article every four months. Surely in a four-month period I can put together a well-researched science story accessible by humans.
• Fourth: Finish up the first draft of Padma. Due by June 15.
• Fifth: Finish outlining another novel. Don’t know which one yet. Possibly due by November 1, depending on whether I participate in National Novel-Writing Month 2018, which isn’t guaranteed at this point.
• Finally: I have a goal to hit 100 submissions for the year. I had 69 submissions for 2017, none of which ended in a sale. But I have a good feeling about 2018!

That’s it. Those are my writing goals for 2018. What are yours?