We're coming to the end of the year, which means that people around the world are going to start reflecting on the year that has just past and are going to start making those New Year's resolutions. It's only nature. A new year. A new start.
Many writers will start their year with new goals too. Some writers decide to finally get their names out there, building their online presence. Others will set the goal of publishing that book. Others just want to finish the dreaded manuscript. Whatever the goal, there will be common threads among writers.
You have likely seen a few messages or posts on other sites regarding SMART goals. This is important, because they do make the goals attainable and a little less daunting. However, there is an additional aspect to goal setting that I want my fellow writers to think about.
How much of your goal is in YOUR control?
SMART Goals
For those who might not know what the acronym stands for, SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.
Define your goals in such a way that it is clear you have identified the constraints and requirements to achieve your goals (specific), but make sure that you have a way of measuring your progress (measurable). It is important to dream big, but don't set yourself up to fail by shooting for the stars when there are many steps along the way that make better targets (attainable). When setting your goals, keep your ultimate dreams in mind, that way you can properly identify the many steps needed to reach for the stars (relevant). And put a time limit on your goals—a self-imposed deadline (timely).
When setting your goals, remember that everything is up for negotiation. Be open to change. For the long-term goals, give yourself several benchmark goals to work towards along the way. And most important, be aware of what you can control and what is reliant on external factors.
There is only so much you can control.
So many aspects of the publishing industry are beyond our control. We might be able to influence the outcomes, but we are still at the mercy of others.
You write a story, then send it off to another person to read and provide feedback (that person might be a critique partner, a beta reader, an editor or some other person). Until you get those comments back, you really don't know what another person thinks about your story. So, you do the best you can to wait… and wait… and wait. Hopefully, you've chosen a person you can trust to actually do the work, but there is zero guarantee that they will keep to the agreed time schedule. And there is zero guarantee that the feedback you actually get will be anything that you can make use of. This is just one of the many aspects of this business that is out of your control.
A book is published and you do what you can to spread the word of its existence, but you can't bully people into actually buying the book. And you certainly can't force anyone to like it. And those reviews… they will likely come in slowly, if they come in at all. It's a few more things to add to the list of elements out of your control.
When setting your goals for your writing career, make sure that you know what you can and cannot control.
Instead of saying that you're going to sell X number of copies of your children's book about the life of a garden gnome, say that you will reach out to Y number of local schools and community groups and offer to do a reading of your story, increasing awareness in your local community about your book.
Instead of saying that you want to sign with an agent by the end of 2020, give yourself the goal of sending out 10 query letters over the course of the next month. (Although, I wouldn't actually send out query letters in December, but that's a different discussion.)
And set yourself goals about the amount of time you will focus on your writing-related activities. Or measure your word counts, if that works for you.
Try to keep the benchmark goals to things that you can control. The long-term goals will always be influenced by external factors, but the little steps along the way will have elements that you can influence in a big way. These are what you need to identify, and go from there.
Tell others your goals.
For many of us, we start out well, focused on what needs to be done, then we start to falter. For whatever reason, we lose the energy to keep going. It normally happens when things start to slow down a bit and the pathway to the next benchmark seems to be a steep uphill climb. It's in these times when we need our family and friends to help us find the focus again.
Tell your trusted writing buddies what your goals are. Make sure they know what deadlines you have given yourself. They will hold you accountable, and when you start to lose the momentum, they will help you refocus your efforts. If need be, they will help you work out where things are going wrong.
Don't work in total isolation. Writing is a solitary activity, and it's so easy for us to find some dark hole somewhere and never resurface, but this is the LAST thing you should be doing—especially when things are just not progressing at the rate you would prefer. It's important to reach out to the writing community—to help get you through the rough times.
Sometimes, the way through is to set some smaller goal, benchmarks that are more closely spaced together. And your writing buddies can help you identify what those perfect benchmarks should be to help you get your mojo back.
Celebrate completed goals.
Remember to celebrate when you have achieved one of your goals or benchmarks, even the small ones. It's the little successes that add up to make the whole. And when that long-term goal seems so far away, it's the little wins that will help you get to the end.
Never demean the efforts that you have put into this journey by ignoring them. Acknowledge them and celebrate!
And let your family and friends celebrate with you. They may not understand the journey that writing can be, but they love you and want you to be happy. They're on this journey with you, watching you go through the roller coaster ride that the publishing industry brings. Even if your family's role in your personal journey is not an active one, celebrate with them, baby. You've earned it.
So… SMART goals that identify what you can influence or control, told to your support network, and celebrated when you achieve various benchmarks. It works for me, and it should work for you.
Share some of your goals for the coming year below. I'll help you find a way to achieve them.