What’s Your Goal?

I’ve decided July’s blog theme will be Productivity. Summer can be a time when we take our foot off the gas, creatively speaking, to spend more time on outside fun, vacations, time with friends, etc. However, many of us won’t be able to get out as much as we’re used to this year, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You can use this time to make some headway on your writing goals.

Since it’s the beginning of the month, now is the perfect time to set your monthly goal(s). Why set goals? Isn’t it enough to just say “I’m going to finish the first draft of my book by the end of the year?” No, it’s not. That goal is nice, but without some specific back-up, you will likely find yourself with 50 pages (if that) written by December and in a panic to finish. Your monthly goal allows you to set a consistent pace that will get you to the finish line on time.

The easiest way to do this is to set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

Specific: If your overall goal is to “work on the draft of my novel” try to be more specific.

            Example: This month I will write the next 40 pages of my novel.

Measurable: How will you measure that? Number of words per week, or per day? Amount of time per day?

            Example: Work on my novel 50 min/day, 6 days/week. OR: Write 2 pages/day, 5 days/week.

Achievable: Is your goal achievable, based on the time you know you have available? Only you can honestly answer this question. If you know you can only squeeze out 30 minutes, 3 days a week, your Specific and Measurable goals need to reflect this. Maybe you get 5 pages per week instead of ten. Maybe you know you have a big week in the middle of the month where you’re not going to be able to work as much as you usually do. Plan for it.

Relevant: Is your goal relevant to what you really need to work on? For example, if you are at the very beginning of your book, jumping right in to writing 40 pages by the end of the month will likely just leave you frustrated. Have you done the pre-work that needs to be done before sitting down to write a novel? Even if you are a “pantser” by nature – i.e., someone who likes to wing it – you will be much better off if you know some things before you begin, such as your Point, your Idea Audience, your Protagonist and their Emotional Arc (that has a cause and effect trajectory with the Action Arc), etc. The sure-fire road to write your way to a sagging, going-nowhere middle is to not do this pre-planning. I have a whole set of questions and a system I use with my coaching clients, even the ones who already have started a book.

Time-bound: If it’s a monthly goal, there you go. You might also do weekly sub-goals. This is especially handy with the pre-planning or querying stages, both of which have many steps.

            Example: Week 1: write query drafts and revise (includes looking up how to write a query, studying examples, etc.)

            Week 2: Agent research and create submission spreadsheet to track

            Week 3: Polish query template letter, to be personalized to each agent

            Week 4: Send out 10 queries

 Important: Write your goals down. Don’t just think them. And at the end of the month, of course, go back over your goals and see if you achieved them or not. If not, don’t beat yourself up. Gently dissect why not. What prevented you? Illness? Fear? Wrong or unattainable goal for the time period?    

If you did achieve them, congratulations! Yaay you! Find a fun and easy way to reward yourself, and make it commensurate with your achievement. Finished 40 pages? Buy yourself a book from your Wish List. Finished a draft of your novel? Order a really nice dinner in from your favorite restaurant (add candles, an awesome dessert, the works). The reward, plus being able to look back on specific accomplishments, plus your brain getting the dopamine rush from you doing what you committed to, will all motivate you to create new goals for the next month.

(And if you need an extra dose of motivation, get an accountability partner, someone who will check in with you about your goals. If you want a double-whammy of accountability and actual feedback on your writing, get a coach).