Writing Well

Write Goals Then Rewrite Them

Maybe you're a person who decides one day, "I'm going to be a writer," and then over time, you become a writer. That's great. For you.

For me, and millions of other people on this planet, achieving goals is not an easy thing to do. It's a tricky business filled with jungles of distraction that will take the most steadfast explorer off-course. It's pitted with swamps of "This isn't quite what I hoped for, but maybe it's good enough". It's laced with ridges showing wondrous vistas that are not what you set out to obtain.

So if you're like me, you need to write down your goals and revisit them regularly for course-correction and adjustment. You see, the thing is nobody knows your road map to life, not even the hundreds of people who've already done what you want to achieve. You're going to take a different path. And you're going to have to feel your way through to the end.

If I've convinced you just a little what a murky business this "I want to be a writer" idea is, then indulge me in spending six months on your goals. Here's what you're going to need to do:

1. Make a five-year plan. This can be just a statement, like "In five years, I want to have completed three novels" or "In five years, I want to be working with a literary agent" or "In five years, I want to sell a book to a traditional publisher". You get what I mean. Where do you want to be, writing-wise, five years from now?

You will write new goals every five years, adjusting them slightly to the changing priorities in your life.

2. Make a one-year plan. If you're really going to do this thing in five years, what do you need to get done this year? Finish writing that book? Revise an existing book and query twenty agents? Study the market (aka Read) and think about some topics that might interest the publishers you want to sell to? (Note: following the market is a risky plan--though it's important to know what is selling right now, you don't want to write to what you're seeing in bookstores currently. Unless it's something super unique, it is safe to say that ship has sailed.)

You will write new goals each year, adjusting them slightly to the changing priorities in your life.

3. Make a monthly set of SMART goals. SMART goals are:

-Specific

-Measurable

-Accurate

-Timely

-Realistic

What do you need to go in the next month to get closer to achieving your yearly goals?

You will write new goals each month, adjusting slightly to the changing priorities in your life.

4. Write weekly goals, outlining the steps you need to take to meet your monthly goals. Ensure they are SMART! Set time aside each week to review your goals. Note what you did, what you didn't do and why, and write new goals for the upcoming week. Include in your new goals ways to overcome whatever obstacles you encountered last week that kept you from meeting your goals.

Remember, keep your goals small. Make them easy to accomplish. As you get more experience and confidence in goal setting, you can challenge yourself. But always stay within the realm of possible.

Write a goal. Adjust. Write new goal. Adjust. Keep chipping away at it and in no time, you'll find yourself doing exactly what you want to do.