2012, it looms, Squiders. Soon people will be after you for your new year resolutions, and perhaps you are thinking about changing up some of your writing goals or trying out some new habits.
It’s always tempting to start out the new year with high hopes. Perhaps 2012 will be the year you lose 50 pounds, publish fifteen books and become a millionaire, and cure cancer. But let’s be realistic. Probably not.
Here’s a couple of suggestions for putting together some writing goals for the new year that you’re likely to keep:
1. Be realistic.
We have a tendency to get really enthusiastic about our goals, but realize that building new habits take times, and if you start out too strong, you may find yourself getting frustrated and giving up. Instead of vowing to write 3,000 words every day, you’ll find more success if you start out just trying to write something (anything) on a daily basis.
2. Be flexible.
I’m not a huge fan of yearly goals for the simple reason of stagnation. I believe your goals should be changeable depending on how things are going, and so I prefer monthly goals instead. To go with the above, let’s say you’re having great success with the writing every day goal. Perhaps starting in March, you modify your goal to be 500 words a day, and then perhaps in June, if things are still going well, you can up your goal to 1000 a day.
3. Add variety.
Let’s be honest. Working on the same thing for a whole year can get boring. Along with your writing goals, try out some editing and submitting. Mix in some short stories, decide to attend a conference, or enter some contests. Make sure you always have something to look forward to.
Hope the end of 2011 treats you well!
