Setting annual goals? Yikes. This blog is supposed to be motivating...encouraging...sweet...sparkling. What happened??
Something good happened--no, something great! Setting annual goals may be the greatest thing you've ever done. Why? Statistics show that people who write their goals down achieve significantly more goals than those who don't. Amazing, isn't it?
And, come on, you're a writer. Don't you live for picking up a pen and paper and writing something down? Anything? Gotcha, didn't I?
Why does the prospect of writing annual goals fill some of us (yes, me) with such a sense of foreboding and dread then? Maybe because a written goal becomes real, solid, tangible. Vague ideas about accomplishing something flutter out the window.
Are your palms sweaty? Breath coming a little short? I know, I know. Bring it down. It'll be okay. Here's what I'd like you to do. Look at the following and apply it to your situation.
For you hobbiests: Do you write short stories? Articles? Novels? Think ahead to January 2010. How many completed short stories or articles would make you feel terrific? Six? Twelve? What about you novelists? Have you started a novel and never finished it? Wouldn't it feel amazing to have a completed novel this time next year? Or you can start and finish a new novel.
For you potential career writers: How many books can you realistically (translation: comfortably) write this year? Half? One? Two? Only you know. What length books do you write? Category? Single Title?
Do you know what length to aim for? Category novels differ, but most are between 50,000 and 65,000 words. For single title fiction, the word count varies. According to Jack M. Bickham's book Scene & Structure, books have a better chance of being published if they are between 60,000-90,000 words. Sure, the Harry Potter series missed that target by a long shot, but if you're serious about getting published, aim for a length an editor knows will be profitable. And why are we talking about word length anyhow? More on that Wednesday...
For you career writers: Are you under contract to write any books this year? Do the books excite you? If the books are part of an ongoing series, would you consider writing short stories outside of your genre now and then to keep your writing fresh? What about reading? Did you have enough time last year to read the fiction, non-fiction, and magazines you love? What feeds your soul creatively? Are you happy with the level of promotion you're doing or do you want to ramp it up a notch?
Think about these questions and write down the answers.
Now you have a list. It might have one thing on it. It might fill up a paper. As long as you have at least one goal, I'm happy. If you have several goals, do they belong in different categories? For example, I have six categories of goals for 2009: writing, submitting, contests, associations, craft, and promotion. All six have meaning for me, not necessarily for you. A few years ago I had one category: writing. Life changes and goals change. That's okay!
Come back on Wednesday when we'll discuss how to break down the annual goals into monthly goals.
And...
Get motivated! It's Monday!
Showing posts with label writing as hobby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing as hobby. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
What Is Your Writing Goal?
January comes with its blowsy ideals every year--you know the ones I'm talking about.
In January I'll lose 75 pounds, write 50 pages a day, save a thousand dollars a week. In January...
Ahh...the fun delusions of January!
Why do we set such unrealistic goals? And why do we set goals for every aspect of our life? Is it really feasible to change every habit in the course of a few weeks? Of course it isn't!
But...
I do believe if something is important to you, you can train yourself to meet that goal. Which leads me to ask: What is your writing goal?
Do you consider writing your hobby?
Would you like to get published someday?
Would you like to get published ASAP?
Or maybe you are published and want to continue putting out your best work?
Now, I'm not asking you to think about why you write or even what you write (although both are great topics to pursue). I'm talking about the end result. Deep down writers have to be aware of their ultimate goal.
If you don't have any intention of getting published, then you fall into the hobby category. Hobbies are fun, but they require time, effort, and persistence like anything else.
If your goal is to get published, either ASAP or that elusive someday, there are many, many non-threatening and simple steps to help you achieve that goal.
If you are published, it's not just about the writing anymore. Balancing your writing with the orbit of "other" circling your career requires the skill of a trapeze artist.
All month, I'll be asking some interesting questions that will really help you hone in on setting realistic goals for your writing this year, whether writing is your hobby, potential career, or full-time career.
Get Motivated! It's Monday!
In January I'll lose 75 pounds, write 50 pages a day, save a thousand dollars a week. In January...
Ahh...the fun delusions of January!
Why do we set such unrealistic goals? And why do we set goals for every aspect of our life? Is it really feasible to change every habit in the course of a few weeks? Of course it isn't!
But...
I do believe if something is important to you, you can train yourself to meet that goal. Which leads me to ask: What is your writing goal?
Do you consider writing your hobby?
Would you like to get published someday?
Would you like to get published ASAP?
Or maybe you are published and want to continue putting out your best work?
Now, I'm not asking you to think about why you write or even what you write (although both are great topics to pursue). I'm talking about the end result. Deep down writers have to be aware of their ultimate goal.
If you don't have any intention of getting published, then you fall into the hobby category. Hobbies are fun, but they require time, effort, and persistence like anything else.
If your goal is to get published, either ASAP or that elusive someday, there are many, many non-threatening and simple steps to help you achieve that goal.
If you are published, it's not just about the writing anymore. Balancing your writing with the orbit of "other" circling your career requires the skill of a trapeze artist.
All month, I'll be asking some interesting questions that will really help you hone in on setting realistic goals for your writing this year, whether writing is your hobby, potential career, or full-time career.
Get Motivated! It's Monday!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Adapting Sure-Fire Ideas
I'm on fire. My fingers skim the keyboard at the speed of light. The plot of my new book came to me so quickly, I just knew it was a sure-fire idea--until I read an interview with the editor I'm targeting and found out my core idea doesn't sell well in their line.
Waaaaahhh!
So what's a girl to do when her perfect idea, her perfect story is deemed unsellable? If that girl is me (and she is), she could be stubborn and write it exactly the way she envisioned it, only to get angry when it gets rejected, or she can adapt.
Adapt. Wow, that's almost a fighting word! I don't know about you, but I adapt the minutiae of my life on a daily basis. I don't always enjoy adapting.
My writing is the only thing I can cling to. It's the only thing I have complete control over. But writing is not my hobby. It is my life. I want to see my books on bookstore shelves. I fantasize about the day I can purchase my own book in a store. So, I adapt.
Decision made, I begin brainstorming ways I can keep the heart of the story but change the circumstances of the characters. And guess what? It takes only a few hours to iron out the details.
And once again--I'm on fire and my fingers skim the keyboard at the speed of light....
Enjoy your week!
Waaaaahhh!
So what's a girl to do when her perfect idea, her perfect story is deemed unsellable? If that girl is me (and she is), she could be stubborn and write it exactly the way she envisioned it, only to get angry when it gets rejected, or she can adapt.
Adapt. Wow, that's almost a fighting word! I don't know about you, but I adapt the minutiae of my life on a daily basis. I don't always enjoy adapting.
My writing is the only thing I can cling to. It's the only thing I have complete control over. But writing is not my hobby. It is my life. I want to see my books on bookstore shelves. I fantasize about the day I can purchase my own book in a store. So, I adapt.
Decision made, I begin brainstorming ways I can keep the heart of the story but change the circumstances of the characters. And guess what? It takes only a few hours to iron out the details.
And once again--I'm on fire and my fingers skim the keyboard at the speed of light....
Enjoy your week!
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