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Productivity

How To Set Effective Writing Goals

Do you ever feel that you set goals but struggle to move them beyond the act of writing them down? If so, this is the blog post for you.

Setting effective writing goals is the key to moving forward in our writing lives and achieving those literary dreams. So, let’s break it down together.

Specifically define success. 

What is the goal? If you want to write a novel, ask yourself what the endpoint is. If it’s to publish the work and promote it, the goal doesn’t just end at writing the novel. Being specific about what success will mean for you is key.

Understand the actions involved. 

Yes, we can write down ‘Write a novel’, or ‘Publish’, but that doesn’t really tell us what is involved in the act, and so can mean that success will be harder to reach. To set an effective writing goal, break down the actions that are involved in the task.

  • How will you achieve your set goals?
  • What is involved in writing a novel?
  • What will you need to learn to publish?
  • Will you hire an editor?

There are lots of questions to consider. If you need a hand with this bit, don’t be afraid to get in touch and ask for help!

Set a Timeline. 

Once you know what is involved in your writing goal, you can set a realistic timeline for the process. Be generous and realistic. If you need help with planning your writing week, check this post out here!

Remind yourself. 

It’s time to set up that writing habit. Look at your calendar and slot in those actions, setting reminders to help you remember to do the work. If you struggle with finding the time, The Time to Write Workbook can take you through the process. It’s an investment in yourself for the price of a cup of coffee!

Get to work.

Once those effective writing goals are set, the only thing left to do is take action. Getting to work on your goals can be made much easier by setting rewards for each task and keeping that final stage in mind.

If you’re looking for some further help, why not take a look at my Novel Writing Masterclass – It’s Time to Write Your Novel. This course takes you from idea to publication and will make setting those goals so much easier.

What writing goals do you have? Let me know – I would love to help you achieve them!

Found this blog post useful? Share it with another writer.

Want to read something similar? Check these out:

The Time Blocking Tools That Can Help You Write Your Novel
Tips and Tricks for Dealing With Procrastination 
Ten Tips For Planning Your Writing Week

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Craft Uncategorized

3 Things I Did To Level Up My Writing Game

Are you looking to level up? Me too! I’m always looking for a new way to improve my writing, process, research, and more.

If you are ready to raise your game, read on for the three things that I did to take me from ‘barely writing’ to ‘novel completed’.

1) Writing Courses. 

I cannot overstate how much creative writing classes help with writing. You don’t just learn about the craft, and the bare bones of the work, but you understand how vital writing is. That, for me, is the most important lesson of all. Whether this is your hobby, your passion, your side hustle, your ambition – whichever label writing has in your life, investing in it makes it more important. It makes you work harder on it, and it moves the act of writing up your list of priorities.

Because I know how valuable creative writing classes are to me, I wanted to make sure that I offered something similar to other writers. That’s why I created my Novel Writing Masterclass: It’s Time to Write Your Novel. From years of teaching and lecturing in Creative Writing in the classroom and at university, I created this programme to be a one-stop shop for all who want to write a novel. It goes through finding the time, discovering the idea, writing, publishing, and more. I made the classes bite-size to fit into a busy schedule, and it’s packed with fun tasks and worksheets that can help you become the writer you want to be.

If you don’t feel ready to invest in a writing course, you can invest in other ways. I have created the It’s Time to Write Workbook for this very reason – for the price of a cup of coffee, you can invest in your writing process. This workbook launches on 17th September and will take you through the process of:

  1. Finding the time to write 
  2. Creating a writing routine that fits with YOUR schedule
  3. Identifying writing areas you would like more information on
  4. Learning how to set and achieve writing goals

If you are ready for a taste of coaching and want to see a way forward in your creative life, this is the workbook for you.

Here’s what Emma had to say:

‘Love the layout, very visual. It’s really useful, and I love how everything is broken down, so you’re not so overwhelmed with the task at hand.’

Here’s what Hannah had to say:

‘This workbook is a great place to start. Knowing what my Creative Data is and using that to structure my time has been eye-opening. There’s real value in providing a structure that makes the seemingly huge (and very intimidating) task of sitting down to write achievable.”

As a writing coach trained by an ICF accredited company with a PhD, MA and BA in Creative Writing, you can trust that this book has been created carefully, using tried and true coaching practices informed by writing knowledge.

2) Community.

Being a part of a community of writers has driven me to do better, write more, and keep going. From the classroom to Instagram, to the small group I run on Facebook (if you are interested in joining, search ‘It’s Time to Write Your Novel’ in groups and request!), a writing community and shared experience helps everyone level up.

3) Reading. 

To be a good writer, it helps to be a good reader. The more you read, the more you learn about grammar, plot, characterisation, what you enjoy, what you don’t like, and just plain everything to do with writing. It is the most valuable thing a writer can do to improve their writing. I find it really helps to set a number of books to read in one year, and work toward that. This year, I am trying to read forty. I’m on track so far!

What has helped you level up as a writer? 

Are you looking for similar reads? Check out the following.

The Reset Week – Investigate Your Writing Process
How to Harness Your Writing Motivation