I’m going to start out by saying that the goals I’m setting for myself for 2012 are ambitious. And I’m not going to meet all of them. That will be in part because my goals will change more than once throughout the year. Plus, I simply don’t have time to do every single thing I want to do. That’s life. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to aim high. Life is short, so I’m going to do all I can to make the most of it.
I’ve always been a reader, though since graduate school, I’ve mostly read for fun, without any specific goal in mind. I found that in 2011, I missed reading with some sort of intention. So I’ve set some reading plans for 2012, with an emphasis on the fact that my writing life is focused on the cultivation of poetry.
- Read 52 poetry collections or chapbooks
- Read 12 novels or short story collections
- Read 12 nonfiction books or essay collections
- Read 12 books about writing
- Read a year’s worth of the following periodicals: American Short Fiction, Bat City Review, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Gulf Coast, The Kenyon Review, and Poets & Writers magazine
I’ve never particularly enjoyed writing book reviews, but I will want to share what I read, so I think my plan will be to do a roundup at the end of every month of all the books I read, with some way to note the ones I found particularly worthwhile.
Coming up next: my (very ambitious) writing plans for 2012…
4 comments
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December 22, 2011 at 1:07 am
Deborah Batterman
Synchronicity must be in the air . . .I’m setting some reading goals myself. I discovered you via She Writes. Let the dialogues begin. And best wishes for the New Year.
December 22, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Allyson
Awesome! Best wishes for achieving your dreams in the New Year!
December 29, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Chrissy (The New Me)
I really like goal #5. Reading journals is so important for writers – if we don’t read them, who will? And Gulf Coast is one of my favorites. I have subscriptions to about 4 journals (I like to enter contests where you get a year’s subscription as part of the entry fee) and they are sadly piling up on my bedside table. I will make it a goal to work through that pile in 2012 (while adding to it!).
Best of luck with your reading goals! I can’t wait to see what books you end up reading.
January 2, 2012 at 1:47 am
thewayshesmiles
These are wonderful goals! I am trying to get more into poetry, too. One of my 2012 goals is to read a book of poetry (something I have never done in completion before!). Another one of my favorite reading goals for the next little while is to “Ask 20 friends to suggest one book and read them all.” An interesting way to read a selection of important books that are meaningful to people you love.
Happy New Year!