Author Diony Heppler: Guest Post-Kathryn Jones

Writing Goals You'll Want to Keep for the New Year

I don't know about you but thinking about setting any goal is about as exciting as scrubbing the toilet. At least, that's the way I think about it upon first glance. But I've got to admit that setting a goal can be thrilling too, kind of like taking that well needed vacation to some exotic island.

Well, probably not that exciting, but you get my drift.

Setting any writing goal is necessary, however. And I'll tell you why.

"A dream unwritten is just a wish."

You've probably heard that one, but I want you to really think about it for a minute and consider why that would be so.

For example, if you hope to be a great writer some day but never put fingers to computer keys or pen to paper will that novel ever get written?

If you really think about it, in just thinking and not doing anything, no goal will ever be accomplished unless it comes by some twist of fate, which I happen not to believe in.

Setting writing goals for the new year can be a good thing; something to look at and reflect on and do something about because it's right in front of you on your wall. You can even use pictures if you want. I call these dream boards. Write words but also use pictures cut from magazines to express your goals.

Another thing.

I've learned through sad experience that I need to keep my goals for writing simple and realistic. The less complex they are the better. For example, I wouldn't want to write: "I'm going to write a best seller this year." Instead I'll write," I'm going to write and publish a book this year." Unless I'm already selling thousands of copies of my books each year, it's more realistic to think that I'm going to write and publish a book this year. Under the heading I write the steps I'm going to take to achieve the goal. For example, I need to write down how much time I'm going to spend daily writing this book, what I'm going to do about editing, where I hope to get it published (and where else I hope to get it published if my first option doesn't pan out) etc.

The more I have written down the more focused I will be and the less likely I'll be to step off the path.

You know the path. It's lush and green in January and by March it's suddenly ratty and ridden with pot holes.

I guess you could say that a writing goal may even be realized sooner than expected. I like to date my writing goals with the exact day, month and year I hope to have it accomplished. Some, though not all of my writing goals have occurred earlier than expected.

And while some of my goals don't occur even after I've written them down (I wanted to go to Paris last year but the event never occurred, but now I'm thinking that I didn't write down the steps so maybe that's why that one didn't happen) I keep trying and working on what actually works.

In a nutshell:

Make your goals simple and realistic.

Write up a step by step process.

Write down a date.

Expect your goal to come to fruition earlier than expected (sometimes it will).

Expect some of your goals not to be realized (at least not yet) and keep trying and working on them until they do.

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Kathryn has been a published writer since 1987. Her works include fiction and nonfiction. She started as a journalist, went back to school in her 40s and opened up shop to Idea Creations Press, a publishing services company, last year.

Her books include: