Setting New Years Writing Goals
A Great Way to Boost Writing Progress for the Year
Writers from all genres take part in the tradition of setting New Years resolutions each year. Some unknowingly neglect an important part of this tradition that can make the difference between success and disappointment. The best way for writers to ensure their New Years writing goals will be achieved is to follow a few simple yet important steps in the goal setting process.
Review Past Writing Habits
Writers should spend some time looking at what worked well for them over the last year and what gave them the best results. Looking at what didn't work well is just as important. This can be done by creating two lists - one for what worked and one for what did not work - and brainstorming some results for each category. Some questions writers can ask themselves during this process include:
- Am I satisfied with the quality of my writing?
- Am I making the money I hoped to be making by now (for those who write for profit)?
- Is my writing schedule working for me or do I need to change something about it?
- Do I still feel passionate about my genre/topics/employment/writing in general?
- What can I do make my good writing better?
Pick up to Three Writing Goals
It is easier to work harder on a couple of goals than to only put a little bit of effort into many goals. Focusing on too many goals can become overwhelming and be hard to keep organized. Writers should look at their review lists and isolate one, two or three goals to work on for the year.
Keep Goals Realistic
One important factor that should be considered is how realistic it is to reach the goal. Writers should consider the goals they want to work on and think about how likely it is that the goal can be achieved. Writers who also work full time may not find it realistic to be able to devote eight hours a day to their craft in order to earn more freelance income.
Keep Goals Positive
It is easier to achieve a goal when it iswritten in a positive way. Writers should look at what they can do more of rather than less of, what they can increase rather than decrease and what they can start rather than stop. For example, rather than deciding to "stop writing late at night" writers would be better off deciding to "start writing early in the morning".
Expand Goals Into Specific, Measurable Tasks
Once a goal is identified the next step is to identify specific tasks that need to be done in order for the goal to be achieved. Keeping the task list short is better than devoting an entire page of tasks per goal. It is also important to keep in mind that even though the goal is to improve writing, the tasks may not have anything to do with writing.
In the above example where a writer decides to "start writing early in the morning" the tasks may need to include such things as going to bed earlier, cutting out caffeine intake after supper (so that the writer isn't awake late into the night) or even moving his lunch hour work out to before breakfast if the workout gives him more energy for the day.
The more specific the task is, the easier it will be to accomplish it and evaluate it's progress. Each task should answer questions such as “who, what, when, where and how”. The more precise information is included, the easier it will be to evaluate if the task was completed. The following sample goal will provide more detail.
Goal: Start Writing Early In The Morning
Task (vague):Go to bed earlier.
Task (specific): The writer (who) will go to bed (what)by 9pm every night (when) in his bedroom (where) with the door closed and lights out (how).
Post Goals Where They Can be Seen
A good strategy to keep writers from forgetting about their goals is to post them on bright paper in obvious places throughout any place where they spend a lot of time. Bathroom mirrors are a good place for posting goals that have tasks that need to be completed first thing in the morning or just before bed as are Computer screens and telephones for goals with midday tasks.
Keeping the goal list short, realistic and positive can increase the likelihood that the writing goals will be achieved. Being specific about tasks in a way that make them able to be evaluated from time to time is also important, as is posting goals in areas where they will be viewed often. Overall, following these few pointers can have a positive effect on the outcome of any writers goals.
Write Goals In The Positive
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