Working Towards Your Goals
July 3rd 2009 12:51
As writers we must set goals. Without knowing where we want to go, how are we supposed to get there? Especially considering that writing can be such a vicious industry-when we're going for professional publication, we have to be twice as willing to do the work as when we're writing for friends or family.
But once we've written our goals, how do we push ourselves to achieve them?
If you have a goal like writing every day, there are little rewards you can use; little chocolates or stickers on your calendar, things like those. If your goals are focused more on getting specific work done within a specific timeframe (for example a first draft in a month) then you'll want to break it down into daily or weekly goals.
There are reward systems and punishment systems and it depends entirely on what type of person you are which will work for you. And then there are those of us who consider seeing their word count or their page count to be enough of a reward.
In the end however it's more about your own determination and your own work ethic. It's about you being willing to put in the hours each day to do what you love. Writing is entirely a labor of love, regardless of publication, regardless of if anyone else likes it or not. The best writers write because they can't imagine not writing.
And so it's about having the willingness to sit down for one, two, maybe three or four hours each day-whatever your schedule will allow-and write. The willingness to work through various problems in your world, writing down details of your characters' lives, writing down things about the history of your world, the religions.
If you can't convince yourself to sit down and write every day or at least every few days just because you love to write, perhaps you need to consider another career.
But once we've written our goals, how do we push ourselves to achieve them?
If you have a goal like writing every day, there are little rewards you can use; little chocolates or stickers on your calendar, things like those. If your goals are focused more on getting specific work done within a specific timeframe (for example a first draft in a month) then you'll want to break it down into daily or weekly goals.
There are reward systems and punishment systems and it depends entirely on what type of person you are which will work for you. And then there are those of us who consider seeing their word count or their page count to be enough of a reward.
In the end however it's more about your own determination and your own work ethic. It's about you being willing to put in the hours each day to do what you love. Writing is entirely a labor of love, regardless of publication, regardless of if anyone else likes it or not. The best writers write because they can't imagine not writing.
And so it's about having the willingness to sit down for one, two, maybe three or four hours each day-whatever your schedule will allow-and write. The willingness to work through various problems in your world, writing down details of your characters' lives, writing down things about the history of your world, the religions.
If you can't convince yourself to sit down and write every day or at least every few days just because you love to write, perhaps you need to consider another career.
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Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Happy writing, our already established writer, ~Dianna.
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Too true-publishing companies don't do nearly enough of that work themselves unless you're already well known.
~Dianna