New Year’s Resolutions vs. Actionable Writing Goals
It’s that time of year again when we’re thinking about the new year and ALL THE THINGS we want to do differently.
Exercise every day!
No junk food!
No more trashy TV! Really!
Read more!
Write more!
In my experience, it’s fine and dandy to make resolutions—they express our desires about what we’d like our life to look like.
But unless we turn those resolutions into goals and turn those goals into very, very specific actionable steps, those resolutions/desires almost never actualize.
Can you think of a New Year’s resolution that you really followed through on?
Yeah, me neither.
But I have had some specific writing goals that I HAVE followed through on, one of which literally changed my life.
That was the writing goal I set for myself in 2022: have a publishing contract in hand for my memoir The Only Way Through Is Out by the end of the year.
I focused on what was within my control to achieve that goal:
First, I broke down the big goal into smaller bite-size goals.
Then I blocked out time on my calendar to accomplish those goals:
- Revise my manuscript.
- Draft a proposal and query letter.
- Research agents, smaller traditional presses, and hybrid presses.
- Personalize my queries and pitch them.
Next, I got help.
I hired a book coach to help me with these writing tasks, set a timetable for pitching, and another timeline for deciding whether to move from pitching agents and smaller presses to hybrid presses.
Read more about my 2022 writing goal-setting process here.
I did achieve that big writing goal: I signed a publishing contract with the University of Wisconsin Press in October 2022.
And sixteen months later, February 13, 2024, The Only Way Through Is Out was on bookstore shelves.
This life-changing event only happened because I turned a resolution (which is really a “desire” without teeth) into a goal, broke down that goal into actionable steps, and dedicated specific times in my week to do the work.
I wish there was an easier way, but if there is, I haven’t found it.
If you’re having trouble breaking down your writing goals into actionable steps or are worried about flaming out before you even get going, here’s one simple piece of advice:
Start small.
And build from there.
Here’s one way to start small:
Commit to writing in 15-minute increments. Drawing up the work of James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, my book coaching colleague Susan DeFreitas shares why this 15-minute practice can be so powerful for writers.
Start small and commit.
Give it a try and see how it goes.
