NaNo Goals

I know when National Novel Writing Month is getting near cause I get so many (tongue in cheek) calls from my brother about it.

But, in an effort to make this year's experience more worthwhile, I'm doing a couple of new things. First, I'm reading a book about writing a book in a month by Reader's Digest. I hope that Miss Schmidt's Book in a Month, which is really closer to a workbook than a book book, will make the work I produce a closer draft to the finished product than what I've produced in the past. I find that on 25% or less of what I've written in previous years actually makes it through the re-writing process. Those are not acceptable losses.

Secondly, I'm setting some goals. Based on a website I found on personal goal setting, I intend to provide the following goals:

1. State each goal as a positive statement - I will knock out 80,000 words during the month of November by writing approximately 3000 words a day during that month. They will all be toward the specific goal of writing the novel I've outlined during the previous months in my workbook on Book in a Month. In order to find the time I need to write I will wake up 6 out of every 7 mornings at 5 AM to write for atleast one hour on nothing but my NaNo writing. 
2. Be precise - Okay, so not 3000 words, more like 2666.666667 a day.
3. Set priorities – During November, waking up to write takes precedence over working for SEAL PT and sleeping. You have one day out of every seven to sleep in or work in the park. 
4. Write goals down – Done
5. Set performance goals, not outcome goals – Performance goal = 3000 words a day. Outcome goal = write a blockbuster novel.

Onward and upward to NaNo Victory!