This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
We’ve talked about motivation and the importance of setting goals before, but I’m happy to touch on those subjects again. Why? Because they’re a recurring theme in the life of any writer.
We learn wonderful writing habits and then something in our lives derails us and we stop working. Or, without intending to, we just let those habits slip. Before we know it, we’re waking up on a rainy Tuesday and realising that we haven’t written a word of fiction for a month (or two or three).
If any of this seems alarmingly familiar, please don’t waste a single second feeling guilty. Nobody works consistently and perfectly all of the time and creativity can come in waves. This isn’t about berating yourself for past performance, this is about reminding yourself of the processes and techniques which are going to help you get your writing done.
This is the season of resolutions and fresh beginnings. The year is stretched out in front of us like a sheet of pristine paper and it’s the perfect time to scribble down some thoughts on how we want to fill that paper over the next twelve months.
Grab a piece of paper (or open a blank document) and start writing. What do you want to achieve in 2014? Maybe you’ve always wanted to write but haven’t yet found the time or confidence to give it a go, or have been writing for years but want to become more productive. Perhaps you have finished a novel or two and are ready to start submitting to agents or publisher, or maybe you want to try a different genre or format.
Once you’ve decided on your goal, break it down into a manageable daily or weekly target. And then start straight away. If your goal is to start writing fiction, start right now. Go on, grab a pencil and write for five minutes…now!
It’s important to start right away for two reasons. Firstly, putting something off only increases the fear (and fear goes hand in hand with anything creative) and, secondly, a year is a deceptive chunk of time. It seems like ages. Our mind plays tricks and tells us that 2014 will go on forever. It’s easy to tell ourselves that we’ve got months and months, or that we need a few weeks to ease ourselves in gently, or that we’ll begin tomorrow. Cut through all of that nonsense and start now.
My goal for this year is very simple. I want to prioritise writing fiction and make this my most creative year yet.
Yes, writing is my job (and I thank my lucky stars for that every single day), but this year I want to remember that it’s also my love. I’m happier and more relaxed when I’ve written, so my goal is to write fiction every day, no matter what else is going on.
How about you? Are you willing to join me?
2014 is your year: What are you going to do with it?