Thank you, Kalhh. and Pixabay. for this goal image.
“What Are Your Writing Goals? by Joan Y. Edwards
You are a great writer. You are a professional writer. Everything you do helps promote your career as a writer. “But,” you tell me. “I haven’t written a single word all week.”
Aha. That may be true. But you have done what every writer must do. You have experienced, witnessed, or documented emotion. You keep it in your mind or on paper. You might be note how something looks, tastes, smells, feels, or sounds so that you can describe it better. Everything you do in life helps with your writing.
It is good to set writing goals to help you achieve publication.
There are five stages to publication for writers:
Stage One
Consistently and continuously
Live
Love
Laugh
Experience, witness, and document emotion
Celebrate
Network – Grow the number of people who know you and might buy or spread the word about your publications
Stage Two
Read
Study
Stage Three
Write pitch and story
Critique by individual or group; paid or exchange
Edit and Revise (Do this at least three times, when it’s the best you can do, go to Stage Four – Remember when you send it out that it’s the best you can do at this particular time with this particular story with the skills and knowledge you have at the time you submit it.
Stage Four
Choose 3 possible markets.
Study guidelines.
Choose one for submission
Write pitch, query or cover letter, proposal, outline, summary, synopsis
Like a spider web each of these activities can be done in a different order. There might be a few you’d like to add of your own. But when you’re finished, you will have woven a beautiful design, a tapestry of part of your life dedicated to one blog post, one children’s book, one non-fiction book, etc. In a particular day, you may only do a few. On other days, you might do a bunch. Enjoy whatever stage you are going through. Celebrate where you are at every moment.
You will have a feeling of accomplishment if you make goals that you can measure. Keep a record either in your head or on paper. When it’s written down, you have proof. When you write down your goals, your subconscious mind takes note of it and leads you to your goal. You may have a few detours. However, if you keep your goals in your mind and believe in yourself and your capabilities. You will find the people, places, and things to make it happen.
For instance, last year I wrote 98 blog posts. During 2013 my goal is to write 130 blog posts. 52 weeks times 2.5 blogs a week equals 130 blogs. That will be 32 more blogs than I did in 2012.
Can you measure it? You don’t want a vague goal like “I will write more.”
Is your goal attainable? Could anyone in your shoes accomplish this goal?
Do you really want to do it?
How many words a day? a week? A month? 90 days? 6 months? A year?
How long will you write each day? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? 20 minutes? 1 hour?
What genre?
How many books?
How many magazine articles?
How many blog posts?
How many guest interviews?
How many submissions?
How many books will you read?
How many workshops will you attend?
This is only a guide for you. Make you own goals. Write them down. Write down the steps you plan to take. Write it down when you take the steps. Voila! You will make it. I know it.
Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it helps you relax and enjoy life and writing.
Thank you to Becky Shillington, Claire Iannini, Dr. Bob Rich, Mary J. Lash, Kassie aka Mom, Caitlin Ritz, Ann Eisenstein, and Linda Andersen for writing a review of Flip Flap Floodle on Amazon for me.
