Goal Setting for the Writer

Setting goals keeps you focused and motivated. So many of you have committed to the “A to Z” challenge so I know you can set goals, but how do you transfer that determination to your daily writing life? Try applying these rules:

1. Write Goals Down - This is a powerful tool. The process of physically seeing your goals helps set them in your mind and better enables you to commit to them. Visual aids are an effective way to program your brain. Reading and re-writing goals are two very effective visual aids. A popular Harvard Business School study found only 3% of the population records their goals in writing. Another 14% have goals but don't write them down, whereas 83% do not even have clearly defined goals. More interesting is that this 3% earned an astounding ten times that of the 83% group!

2. Do NOT set a goal for the number of publications you will achieve in X amount of time. This is out of your control and will leave you feeling deflated. Instead:

3. Make Goals Short, Attainable, & Measurable - Long term goals are great to keep in mind, but take one week at a time to avoid discouragement. Commit to writing a certain number of words each week, submit an article or flash fiction story a week, find at least one new market each week, take at least one writing course a year and attend at least one writer's conference a year. These are all attainable, but they may not be for you. Goals are very individual. You have to set your own goals for success.

4. Don't set wimpy goals simply because you're afraid to fail. If you play it safe, you’ll never attain true self satisfaction.

5. Create Deadlines - Without deadlines, your goals are merely dreams. Set deadlines for both short- and long-term goals, but remember they can be flexible. Life changes and so do goals. Never be afraid to adjust the timeframe for a goal. What's important is to keep moving forward.

What kind of goals have you set?