Happy (almost) New Year!It’s just two days away. Do you have your writing resolutions set? What are your plans for 2015? What do you want to accomplish?
Personally, I think setting writing goals, aka resolutions, is easy. You just write down or proclaim something that you want to achieve, right?
For example, “In 2015 I’m going to write a bestseller.” That’s an exciting resolution for sure, but is it actually something that is realistic? Is it something that you can achieve? Is it something you’re really motivated to achieve? After all, we all have our own reasons for writing romance and while some may aspire to fame and fortune, others may simply enjoy sharing their stories with others.
So how do you set a “good” resolution?
First, let’s talk about what a good resolution really is. A good resolution:
- Is important to you. It’s something that you genuinely want to achieve.
- Is terrifying, but also realistic. You should feel challenged by your resolution but not overwhelmed.
- Is measurable. How will you know when you’ve achieved success?
Based on those criteria, choose a resolution or make a list of possibilities and ask yourself the following questions:
- Scale of 1-10 how much of a priority is it? 10 means that you’re so freaking excited about this resolution that nothing, not even the full cast of True Blood showing up at your front door and asking you to go out for a night of debauchery, would keep you from achieving your goal. It’s THAT important to you.
- Does the resolution frighten you, just a little? If it doesn’t, it’s not the right resolution. Keep looking!
- Is it possible to achieve your goal and actually follow through on a resolution?
- How will you know when you’ve succeeded? Is the goal measurable?
- Can you break the goal up into smaller, manageable, steps? For example, if your goal is to write a book in 2015, then your smaller steps might be to finish a chapter each week or two write a page a day. Small steps help you stay accountable.
If you need a few ideas to help you get the writing resolution wheels spinning, check out:
and
And if you’re ready to get a head start on your next novel, 100 Prompts for Romance Writers is available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Good luck to you as 2014 comes to an end and 2015 begins. I wish you a happy New Year and may all of your writing resolutions come true.
Happy Writing!
Annette