Category Archives: Self Improvement

Writing Performance Review for 2023

Few people look forward to performance reviews, and I’m not one of them. As an upside, I’m my own boss. Downside—I’m my own harshest critic.

Time to assess my writing for 2023. As in past years, I’m using The Writer’s Performance Review scorecard by book coach, Jennie Nash.

This year, I examined the rating descriptions in greater detail and it resulted in a lower score than in previous years. For each attribute, you rank from one to five. One = below expectations. Two = partially meets expectations. Three = meets expectations. Four = exceeds expectations. Five = far exceeds expectations.

It’s a comparison of actual performance during the year to expected performance. Based on that, a score of three isn’t bad. It means you’re doing what you expected to do. If you scored three in all twenty attributes, you’d get 60.

As my assessment turned out, I did get a 60. Mostly 3s, but also one 5, four 4s, four 2s, and one 1.

That 1 rating applies to “strategic thinking,” and I’ll do more in 2024 to discover the influencers of my genre by checking out podcasts and Youtube videos by reviewers and authors.

I’ve also committed to some corrective actions in the areas rated as 2:

  • Organization and Planning – I’ll use the Pomodoro method to manage my time.
  • Goal Orientation – I’ll follow the Stephen Covey method of setting large goals, then breaking them down into smaller goals, and weekly tasks.
  • Genre Knowledge – I’ll read more books in my genre.
  • Target Audience Knowledge – I’ll spend some time listing characteristics of my ‘ideal reader.’ That’s how I get to know my fictional characters better, so it might work for readers.

As for writing accomplishments this year:

  • My story “Turned Off” got published in The Science Fiction Tarot. 
  • I finished the second draft of one novel, and
  • I made good progress on the first draft of another novel
  • I completed another round of edits on my upcoming short story collection, The Seastead Chronicles, and am hoping for its publication in 2024.

    Most employers and employees keep annual performance assessments private. As both employer and employee, I display mine to the world as a service to other writers.

    May all of us who scribble words have a successful 2024. That’s the New Year’s wish of—

    Poseidon’s Scribe

    December 17, 2023Permalink

    Writing Performance Review for 2022

    As the end of the year approaches, this seems a good time to assess writing performance. As with last year, I’m using the Writer’s Performance Review template created by the Book Coach, Jennie Nash.

    I scored a bit higher this year than last—a 75 out of a possible 100. Worst scores—goal orientation and strategic thinking. In last year’s assessment I scored low in these two as well, but my score improved in industry knowledge.

    Goal orientation means more than writing down a to-do list, which I do. It means assigning numeric, measurable goals for time spent, word count, etc. Although I understand the importance of such metrics, I worry about the dangers of overemphasis. I’ve found I get more of what I measure and less of what I don’t. If that’s true for you, take care in what you choose to measure.

    This performance review template defines strategic thinking to include identifying and connecting with ‘ideal readers’ and their influencers. I’ll do more research into this.

    This year saw some personal writing successes. My short story “80 Hours” came out in paperback and ebook form. A book I co-edited, Extraordinary Visions: Stories Inspired by Jules Verne, got published. I served as president of my local writing critique group, and got a short story accepted for publication in an upcoming anthology.

    Performance assessments bring anxiety, embarrassment, and self-doubt. Now imagine making your assessments public, as I do in these annual posts. You get to see a writer striving to improve, agonizing over failures, and dusting himself off, determined to make next year better.

    If my struggles do no more than to inspire you to improve your own writing, then my self-examinations serve a greater purpose than mere assessments of—

    Poseidon’s Scribe

    December 24, 2022Permalink

    Your Writing Performance Review for 2021

    It’s nearing the end of the year. Assessment time. How have you been doing as a writer of fiction?

    I decided to use the Writer’s Performance Review template created by the Book Coach, Jennie Nash. I encourage you to use it, too.

    For 2021, I rated myself as a 73 out of 100. My weakest areas were: Goal Orientation, Industry Knowledge, and Strategic Thinking. I only gave myself a 2 rating in each of those.

    For each weak area, I need a plan for improvement. Goal Orientation is relatively easy for me—I just lost sight of doing it now that I’m retired. For Industry Knowledge, I committed to monthly checks of publishing trends, easily done with internet searches. For Strategic thinking, I need to do some research about my ideal readers and their influencers.

    Other areas of weakness where I rated myself as 3 were: Self-editing skills, Organization and planning, Genre knowledge, Target audience knowledge, Literary citizenship – peer to peer, and Coachability. Since I meet expectations with these, and since this is the first year I’m doing this assessment, I’m not going to set firm plans for improvement in these areas. That will allow me to focus on the worst areas—the ones with ratings of 2.

    As I mentioned, you can use that Writer’s Performance Review, too. It’s important to be honest as you do so. Still, I found it much easier than annual performance reviews at work. Both receiving them from supervisors and giving them to subordinates were stressful events. A self-assessment skips all that worry about how the other person perceives you.

    The end of each year is a good time for reflection, review, assessment, and planning for the future. If you try to be as objective as possible with it, this tool might very well improve your writing, whether you create fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Improved writing—that’s the shared goal of you and—

    Poseidon’s Scribe

    December 12, 2021Permalink

    Make Better New Year’s Resolutions, and Keep Them

    Welcome to 2021, a brand-new year. It’s an empty page, waiting to be written on. What are your hopes, dreams, and goals for this year? Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Or are you unwilling to do so because you’ve broken all your past ones?

    If you’ve had bad experiences with resolutions in the past, this post is for you. Likely you’ve experienced one or more of the following problems making and keeping your resolutions. After each problem, I’ve proposed a solution that might work for you.

    Problem 1: I’m too busy for resolutions. Life gets in the way of getting them done.

    Solution: Ask yourself if all the things you’re currently doing with your time are more important than your resolution. If so, fine, don’t change anything. However, I suspect you’ll find some things you’re doing are less important than your resolution, and the real problem lies elsewhere on this list.

    Problem 2: I just lack willpower. I don’t have the discipline to follow through on my resolutions.

    Solution: In the moment of decision, remember why you made your resolution. Remember why you think it’s important.

    Problem 3: The resolution was easy to make, but now seems too big. It’s overwhelming.

    Solution: Break it into parts. Make it a project with several manageable tasks. Do the tasks one at a time.

    Problem 4: I like my resolution, but don’t really know how to accomplish it. (Example: “I want a life of joy.”)

    Solution: Rewrite your resolution to be actionable. Start it with an action verb. (Example: “Find joy in everything, if possible, and spread it to others. When not possible, seek to re-attain the feeling of joy as soon as I can.”)

    Problem 5: My resolution seemed like a good idea, but it’s a little vague. Now that I read it again, I’m not sure how or when to say I’ve accomplished it. (Example: “Lose weight.”)

    Solution: Rewrite your resolution in a more specific way. Assign dates and measurable outcomes. (Example: “Lose 20 pounds by August 31, and keep the weight off through the end of this year.”)

    Problem 6: Whenever I work on my resolution, I just can’t get anywhere. It’s easier to forget the whole thing.

    Solution: Visualize a future in which you’ve accomplished the resolution. Imagine your life after that goal is achieved. Paint a mental picture of success. Rewrite your resolution, if necessary, to include and reinforce that vision.

    Problem 7: I wrote down my resolutions and stuck them in a drawer. Now I’ve forgotten all about them.

    Solution: Find a short motivational phrase, ideally a single word that represents your resolution. Recall Winston Churchill’s catchword: “Victory.” Put it everywhere you’re likely to notice it. (You can still keep a longer version, perhaps broken down into separate tasks as mentioned in Problem 3 above, but the short version is meant to inspire you to work on the remaining tasks.)

    Now you’re well on your way to making resolutions that work for you. Here’s a fine example to get you started: I resolve to read all the weekly blogposts written by—

    Poseidon’s Scribe

    January 3, 2021Permalink