Quite a few of you have decided to set yourselves writing goals this year, and that is truly admirable. However, if you're anything like me, goals and resolutions only last about 3 weeks before either laziness or procrastination rears its ugly head and all that hard work and good intention goes out the window.
With that in mind, here are a few things I've learned when setting writing goals:
#1. Be Realistic: Setting yourself a challenging goal is one thing, but make sure that it can actually be achieved. Saying something like "I'm going to write 4 books this year" when you've never written a first draft before is pushing it a little too far. Stick with what you know you can achieve.
#2. Small goals are king: Even if you have an achievable and realistic goal, it looks a little daunting standing tall on December 31st, glaring at you from the end of the year. Make your goal more manageable by splitting it into smaller goals, or create milestones for yourself that you need to accomplish by certain times of the year. For example,
"In 2012, I am going to write the first draft of my novel"
Can become
"I will write the outline by March, I will have 50,000 words written by July, and I will finish it by December"
With smaller goals on the near horizon, it makes things far easier to work towards.
#3. Give yourself time to write: I've seen quite a few people who have set themselves writing goals because they have lacked time to write in the past. In order for you to achieve these goals, it helps to give yourself dedicated 'writing time' every day. That way, you know that you always have time to write, and little by little your goal will get closer to completion. Even half an hour a day is better than not writing at all, which causes a snowball effect and before you know it it's November and you've only written 200 words.
#4. Know that you are not alone: If the IWSG is anything to go by, you have the support if dozens, if not hundreds, of like-minded people who are trying to achieve similar things. We are here for you. So if you are struggling to achieve your writing goals, or you need advice, or even just a pep talk, don't give up. Come to us. It's what friends are for!
What are your writing goals for 2012? How will you go about achieving them?
Be sure to check out some of the other participants below, and if you're tweeting about it, use the hashtag #IWSG to let others know.
I set
ReplyDeletemy goals
for 2012, but thanks to this post, I'm going to redefine them in more manageable terms. Thank you for the insights!
Great advice Jamie, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteMy only goal is to not get so drawn into Facebook and blogging when I ought to spend the time writing. Blog hops like this don't help though. Might start this resolution next week!
ReplyDeleteOh geez, writing goals? I hadn't even given any though to my writin this year, other than, "You know, if I was a bestselling author, I wouldn't have to work this lousy dayjob." (Not thought in any real seriousness, of course, because I'm not that naive.) I really should set aside some good solid writing goals for the coming year. Goals more far-reaching than last year's, "I can reach my NaNoWriMo goal in the 11 days it will take for Skyrim to be released." If nothing else, I'd love to have a finished and ready-for-submission novel done by the end of the year. Doable, if I make sure to set aside the time each day.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the small goals. We need those little successes if we ever hope to achieve big ones.
ReplyDeleteexcellent, excellent advice! every last word! :)
ReplyDeleteSuch excellent advice!
ReplyDeleteI tend to plan for more than I can accomplish. I need to be better at focusing on smaller goals and figuring out how much I can actually get done in a year than what i think I can get done. The small goals are the key, I think.
I have the big goals set but I haven't yet broken them into smaller chunks. That's actually one of the goals I set for myself for today but I should've done it for tomorrow. I'm trying to visit as many IWSG blogs as possible.
ReplyDeleteGood solid advice here!
ReplyDeleteI find number 3 the hardest one to achieve - there are so many other activities that we Indie Authors get drawn into. The trouble is that when I do drop the social media and start writing again, the book sales tumble and I am off the Amazon visibility radar in no time at all.
Does anyone know how to do it all, keep up the day job and still have a couple of hours left to sleep?
Emma
Happy New Year Jamie.. and stellar advice! I'm definitely one of those who usually abandons the resolutions within a few weeks of making them... I just have one this year though, and I think it's very attainable :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice, Jamie! I agree that small goals are king, even in writing the novel itself. I find trying to look at the big picture gets overwhelming, so I set myself one event in a chapter at a time to work on.
ReplyDeleteAllison (Geek Banter)
I love setting goals and love the way you outlined the best way for success. Thanks for sharing - new follower :)
ReplyDeleteAnother key is making sure your goals are within your control.
ReplyDeletei always try to set goals that are actually things i can accomplish and most likely will. So my goals this year are to query 2 MS, write at least 1 MS, and submit a few short stories. I'd love to add "get an agent" in there, but that's out of my control. All i can do is try my hardest.
ReplyDeleteAwesome advice. I'm still setting my writing goals for the year trying to be as realistic as possible.
ReplyDeleteI'm a very slow writer. What you described here is about my pace. Outline for a few months, write for a few months, get a draft finished by the end of the year. Start editing.
ReplyDeleteYeah that all sounds familiar.
I think you're right about small goals. Setting up big goals is only going to set you up with bald spots from pulling your hair out to GET IT DONE! Or make you feel horrid if you don't get it done. Small goals are not only achievable, but rewarding in themselves. I would suggest one more thing though:
ReplyDelete5) Go out and buy confetti to throw for yourself every time you achieve one of your small goals. Small celebrations are acceptable too=)
Great advice. I think I made my goals reasonable this year after a big learning experience last year.
ReplyDeletegood advice for the writers, Jamie!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! I especially need to heed this as I have set myself up with some huge things I want to accomplish this year. Sorry I'm late! :)
ReplyDeleteSome excellent advice here. I went too far the other way, and didn't set myself any goals at all!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. I like to break my goals down into smaller, chewable pieces. Otherwise I feel overwhelmed. If I feel that, I procrastinate.
ReplyDeleteEven writing a page a day adds up over time. I usually just put blinders on a chapter at a time.
Hope you get some shorts written. :)