The Trouble with Small Goals

Tumor roulette: And now we are talking about surgery for Neal. It seems to be the best way for him to keep the use of his eye. However, factors about whether we'll do surgery or not include how well he can take surgery at his age.

So, guys, I'll stop telling you anything until something definite actually happens. Viva the clarity of the medical establishment!

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Very interesting post from Ferrett Steinmetz today on how small goals can make you complacent.

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I think it is conceptually good to celebrate small goals, especially if they help you with motivation. I have been where Ferrett is. If you reach a certain point in your pursuit, you can be complacent in having gotten that far.

Usually, though, as I'm an overachiever who tends to try to one up myself, this complacency lasts a few minutes. Still, sometimes meeting the small goal will make me feel that I can relax, or that I'm where I want to be.

So, this year is a real change of focus. You'll notice that this is the first year that I haven't put a finite goal, like write book X, or publish Y, or even send out X submissions.

This is the first year that I accept writing as the thing that won't go away. It's not a hobby that I can put aside when I need a break. It becomes something I dedicate a certain amount of time to, vaguely akin to a career.

Not all my efforts will see the light of day. The goal isn't to dazzle you with my productivity. The goal is to make writing and the improvement of my writing a constant factor in my life.

I have this overarching large goal. I don't know what the end result of this will be, but it will be interesting to find out. That doesn't mean I can't celebrate small successes. However, my eye must always be on the next step.

It's a lifestyle now.

But you don't want this preachiness. No, what you want is a review. Of Swill. Coming right up.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

Swill Number 5

Note: This reviewer will not touch upon her own story in this review. Rather, I will focus on the efforts of my fellow contributors, whose work still crosses over into that literary border from time to time.

About a year ago, I wrote a review of Swill 4. I was delighted with the content. On the current issue's cover, Matt DiGangi says, " Swill is what I always thought underground literature should look like" and I agree. Swill is dangerously close to literature.

That said, this issue of Swill is different than its most recent predecessor. Oh, it's still disturbing bothersome stuff, sort of like a punk album at 78 RPM, but this time the world of the internal is where the magazine spends most of its time. Number 4 played with the outside world. Number 5 plays with the mind. Eight of the eleven stories in this issue are told from a first person perspective. The remaining three stories play their narration on an internal note. The narrators are not all unlikeable, but they are certainly twisted.

It would be hard to pick a favorite piece. Sean Craven's brutal Jimmy's Confession scans as torture for a good cause. You realize you sort of approve of the hero's actions while you wince at him for his violence and at yourself for your approval. Chia Ever's very dark The Quiet Type is an x-rated Poe with an Evers-eque twist at the end.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.