My Arrows of Ambition for 2024

I write every day. Every morning, I write for 30-60 minutes in my journal, simply downloading my thoughts of the morning so I can proceed with my day. Part of that day includes more writing, and although I don’t usually set my goals in writing, it’s fitting to write down my 2024 writing goals for the first Vocal Challenge of the year.

1. I aim to publish at least twice weekly, rotating between the communities I’m familiar with and comfortable with, like BookClub, Fiction, Futurism, PetLife, and Writers.

2. I aim to publish a minimum of 2 times per month to some of the other communities on Vocal I have yet to contribute to, like Geeks, History, Longevity, Motivation, and Viva. I'm halfway there this month since I haven't ever published in Motivation which is where this article will be found.

3. I aim to focus on quality over quantity in my writing and not be chasing after dopamine hits. I will focus on writing well-written, engaging stories as I try to find my voice as a writer. This is important to me since my ultimate goal is to improve my writing.

4. I aim to encourage more discussion with the readers and include more specific discussion questions for readers to engage in the comments. I not only want feedback from the community about my writing, but I would also like to have more discussions in the comments. Something I will have to work on in my writing to encourage readers to engage more.

5. I aim to enter the writing challenges – all of them. And not shy away from the challenges involving poetry or other genres that are not in my comfort zone. I want to expand and explore my writing skills and not shy away or avoid participating in styles and genres that I am less familiar with or comfortable with. One down, many more to go!

6. I aim to earn Top Story at least six times this year. I think I could achieve this goal with the help of constructive feedback and support from the Vocal community.

Community is an important aspect of my writing journey, one I aim to focus more on this year. I have started to engage more with Vocal writers on the platform, as well as through Discord and various Facebook groups. I am grateful for support I have received from this community in helping me learn how navigate the Vocal World and become a better writer.

Living in a rural area limits my access to local writing groups, hence the significance of finding an online community. My short time (2 months)on Vocal has shown me the value of such a community for feedback and mutual encouragement. I seek to deepen these connections, as I believe they are instrumental in reaching my goals, including that of increasing my subscriber base.

7. I aim to increase my total number of subscribers. In my first two months on Vocal, I have 40 subscribers. I aim to increase my subscribers by 10-20% in the first quarter of this year and double my total by the end of June 2024.

8. I aim to promote my fellow Vocal writers’ stories more often within my Vocal articles in order to help build the community and support my fellow Vocal writers. Starting right now with these two:

9. I aim to explore more communities as a reader this year that I have yet to have a chance to do so, like Geeks, History, Humans, Longevity, Motivation, and Psyche, to name a few.

E.B. White, author of Charlotte’s Web, wrote, ‘A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word to paper.’ I need to keep this in mind this year. It's not that I wait for ideal conditions, but I don’t always push myself or challenge myself to write sometimes because things don't feel right. Creativity isn’t a switch you can turn on and off at any whim – or is it?

I used to draw every day for over a year. I stopped drawing for what I thought would be a temporary break because I was drawing for the likes – the dopamine hits I received when I posted.

I don’t want that to happen with my writing, and I tell myself often that I am not posting every day and just throwing something up to throw something up. Not that is what I was doing with my drawing because I was learning and practicing my art, but I wasn't drawing for me.

There is a middle way to aim for that will give me the practice in allowing myself to be creative in practicing my writing, whether it be taking online classes in poetry or speculative fiction and deciding I don’t feel creative today – so why try?

10. I aim to balance creativity and a disciplined writing practice that gives me the space to be creative. Creativity can be like a switch, sometimes requiring some effort to turn on. But with practice and time to recharge, the switch will get easier to flip on.

There will be times I know that I will need to give myself that “I Can Do This” pep talk. Particularly when the creativity switch feels jammed. Lao Tzu said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Or, in my case, it will begin with a single story at a time. I will keep to a writing routine, but I will allow myself to be flexible and non-judgmental during this time as I explore different writing styles and genres this year.

I hold myself to very high standards, but I realize perfection doesn’t really exist. If you chase after it, It can cripple you. As author Anne Lamott said in her book Bird by Bird, “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft."

So, here’s to not being afraid to write those ‘shitty first drafts’ – and then improving upon them. I aim to share these with the Vocal community, who have already provided invaluable feedback and support. This has encouraged me to enjoy trying new things in my writing journey.

And for the arrows that miss? Well, let's just say, as a Sagittarius trying to learn real-life archery, my targets should probably consider wearing some protective gear! I know I should since I had an arrow ricochet back! It's a reminder that in the archer’s quest, every shot - be it a masterful hit or a comical miss - teaches us something valuable. In archery, as in writing, there's an art to hitting the target. Sometimes, you might hit the outer rings, and other times, you'll land right in the bullseye. Each attempt, whether it lands in the center or not, teaches us something valuable.

Just like in writing, hitting the big target – completing a story, expressing an idea, sharing a piece of ourselves – is an achievement in itself. And while the bullseye – that perfect phrase, the most impactful story, the precise expression – might not always be where our arrows land, striving for it keeps our skills sharp and our aims high.

As I continue to draw back my bow and aim for new targets in my creative endeavors, I'm reminded that each story, each piece, each word is a step forward on this path. Here's to a year of bold strides, unexpected journeys, and stories that hit the mark, one arrow at a time. And if a few of them miss - well, that's to be expected. Nothing is perfect. In the steady draw of the bow and the flight of the arrow, we find our true aim – the heart of our stories. Here’s to a year of aiming high, laughing at our misfires, and celebrating the shots that reveal the true marksman within us.