At one of my former employers, there was a semi-annual ritual of establishing "SMART" goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-specific. And so, in lieu of New Year's resolutions, allow me to establish my SMART goals for calendar year 2002:

* The Do Over: finish my first complete draft of The Do Over by the end of January; finish my revision of Chapters 1, 2, and 3 and send those to my first agent of choice by the end of January; keep sending it out to agents and publishers if and when it is returned to me.

* The First Exile: begin outlining The First Exile (my next novel, which is completely unrelated to the first) in February. Start writing scaffold scenes in February. One new scene per week for the rest of the year. 40,000 words by the end of the calendar year.

* Send out five short stories throughout the calendar year, one each during the odd numbered months, starting in March. Per Connie Willis's advice, immediately send 'em back out to other venues any time they are returned. Write six more new ones (to be sent out the following year, as appropriate) in the even numbered months, starting in February.

* Send a submission to the Writers of the Future contest every quarter this year until and unless I make it to the finalists circle. Notice that this SMART goal can be neatly overlapped with the short story goal above. :)

* ****** * ******, ******** ** ****. More details on that in a couple days. But, trust me, it's specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-specific!

* Earn money as an emcee or in some similar public speaking capacity at least once this year!

* Lose weight. Specifically, drop 25 pounds by July 4th. That's five pounds per month, with a month "slop time" built in. :-)

* Travel to see family in Florida at least once this year.

* Attend World Con in San Jose this year.

Some of these goals are a bit aggressive... but, nonetheless attainable. They may not *all* be attainable, insofar as they'll be vying with other goals (like paying the mortgage) that are not explicitly stated but are nonetheless time sinks.

Clearly, this is a year devoted to two things: writing, and *** ****. Oh, sure, I have other goals and intentions... like, bringing in enough money to pay the bills, keeping in better touch with family and friends, and winning the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. But in keeping my eye on the prize this year, it's writing and *** **** that I'll be looking at. What happens this year sets the tone for many years to come.

What are *your* plans for this coming year? Do you have any SMART goals? Samantha Ling, a fellow Clarionite at this year's writing workshop in Seattle, has posted her intentions on her website. Are *you* willing to publicly declare your goals? Let me know, and I'll post your link here, too. (A dubious honor, to be sure.)

Happy New Year!

--Allan