Before I dive into making lofty writing goals for 2020, I'm taking inventory of what I wrote this past year. This past year took me from Oakland, CA to Tacoma, WA; from freelancing to an office and back again. As cliche as it sounds, I think looking back can inform a more successful future. After all, learning from my mistakes and the mistakes of others' is how I continue to learn as an adult.
That and reading, I read a lot.
So here they are, as quantified as possible, a top 10 list of what I wrote in 2019.
1. 635 to-do lists: Coping skill numero uno for the easily overwhelmed, make a to-do list EVERYDAY. My to-do list keeps me honest about what I can handle and what I cannot. It helps me prioritize and create realistic deadlines for my work and my life.
2. About 30 cover letters and counting: Moving to a new state inspired me to trade in freelancing for a 9-5. I wrote cover letters for any job that seemed remotely interesting which asked me to think critically about what my skills are good for. Whether or not I sent all my cover letters, the act of writing is never fruitless.
3. This blog: I started blogging this past summer and it is still a work in progress. I am timid about sharing my thoughts and processes but I try to remember just how grateful I am to the bloggers whose content I read on the regular. This is my contribution to keep the spirit alive!
4. At least 25 letters to my Aunt MaryLou: Most of my relatives on my father's side of the family are diligent letter writers. Her penmanship and her writings about life in Vermont makes pen-palling with my father's sister a delight.
5. Countless emails and text messages (haven't we all): Writing emails and texts is unavoidable, but writing them without typos and with thoughtful regards can make correspondence a more enjoyable engagement. I keep myself honest in my texting by correcting any typos I make or that autocorrect makes by sending a follow up * with the correction.
6. A shit-ton of website content: Really happy that I got to do so much website content writing this past year. It's been in my repertoire, but this past year I gained some new insights and methods for writing website content.
7. More social captions than I'd like to admit: For clients, for myself, captions have become the narrative of my day to day. Don't get me wrong, I love a good caption, but caption-saturation is at an all time high -- you heard it here first!
8. Numerous landing pages and ad copy: Also some of my favorite writing, I love putting on my Peggy Olson hat to create clever copy. Copy writing is like Scrabble with words tiles.
9. Outlines for 2 short stories: This may be fodder for a 2020 writing goal?
10. More than 100 journal entries and counting: I'm a compulsive journaler and it has saved my life more than once. Stream of consciousness writing is my go-to for untangling and understanding what the hell is going on in life and in love.
That makes my top 10 list of what I wrote in 2019. Now I feel more prepared to create some 2020 writing goals. Have you set yours yet? Whatchu got?