Happy New Year!
For many, the start of a new year means making and then shortly breaking resolutions. Maybe you’ve already given up on the resolution you made a week ago. But don’t despair! There is still time to make and keep your goals, ESPECIALLY your writing goals.
However, if you’re stuck on how to set and keep a resolution, you’ve come to the right place.
One of the first things to do is determine what kind of writing goal you want to make for this year.
Determine an area related to writing that you want to grow in. Do you have a specific project you want to finish? Maybe you want to up your social media platform or network more. Do you just want to get better at writing more consistently?
Once you have a basic idea of a goal, make it as specific as possible. Some examples of this could include:
- Send my finished manuscript to 5 publishers
- Attend 3 writing conferences and meet with 2 editors at each one
- Write about anything for one hour per day
- Gain 5000 followers on Instagram
It is also important to make sure that your goal is realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure by making an impossible goal like getting 2 books published this year or becoming famous on Twitter. Know yourself and your limits as well as what you realistically have time to do.
If you are already working a full-time job, going to school full-time, raising kids, planning a wedding or anything of the sorts, then try to set smaller, more achievable goals throughout the year.
So now you’ve set a realistic goal that you’re excited about and know you can achieve. How do you follow through with it?
- Find an accountability partner. Does someone you know have a similar goal to your own? Set up weekly or monthly times to meet with them and check-in on your progress. Maybe you just know someone who is really good at keeping you accountable and encouraging you. Use that person!
- Set smaller goals. If your big goal for 2020 is too daunting at the moment, then try setting smaller goals that will lead up to completing that bigger goal. Make it a January goal to plot your whole novel. Maybe during the summer you will get an extra job to start saving for writing conferences.
- Reward yourself. Sticking with and finishing a goal is a big deal! Find ways to reward yourself for getting the job done and not giving up.
- Track your progress. Whether you keep a loosely formatted goal-keeping journal or a strict spreadsheet to track your goals, make sure you have a space where you are keeping yourself accountable. Then in December you can look back at how productive your year was!
- Reflect. Every once and a while take time to reflect on your success in achieving your goals. If you’ve kept with it, celebrate! If you haven’t been as faithful as you would have liked, go back through this list and try again. But stay positive and don’t give up!
What is your writing goal for 2020? Comment below to share what you are excited to achieve or how you will complete your goal!
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