September 21, 2020
Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the How to write 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?
I learned all about the fine art of setting goals years ago. How to write them in such a way they looked good for the bosses and yet meant the raises they promised were in the bag. About stretch goals versus SMART goals versus whatever the powers that be decided to use that year.
I understood the process. And I’ve never bought into it.
I know it’s supposed to be motivation. It didn’t work for me. What it felt like was a tool for bad managers who didn’t know how hard their employees worked. Or lazy ones who didn’t try to find out.
Oh, not all of them. There are exceptions. My current boss being one of them.
But we’re here to talk about writing. And I set goals for my writing the same way I plot out my books. I don’t.
Here’s the deal. Life has thrown me under the bus too darned many times. I choose to no longer live with the guilt of not meeting some artificial goal. I just do the best I can every day. Sometimes that means I write 1500 words in a day. Some days it means I only write 200.
That doesn’t mean I don’t have general goals. I wanted to get the first draft of The Ranger’s Dogtags done two months ago. I finished it last week and finished typing it today. And I don’t feel any guilt. The book turned out to be 20,000 words longer than any of my previous stories. Those extra words deserved the extra time they needed to come to life.
My next general goal is to get through a couple of rounds of editing. i haven’t set a target date for publication yet. Life could get interesting in the next few months, and I don’t want to rush things. I want to give this book the attention it deserves.
And that’s my goal. To make each book as good as possible and just keep writing. It’s not SMART but I don’t care.
But that’s just me. I’m sure we’re going to get a variety of opinions from the other writers on this hop. Follow the links below to find out.
Until next time, stay safe!
September 21, 2020
Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?
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The worst thing you can do is tell me that I have to perform some action. Whether its market my books or paint the kitchen. The more everyone tells me that I really should be marketing, the less inclined I feel to do any. And I don’t fall for all the psychological motivation tricks either. I’m old enough to go my own way, content to write for the sake of it.
Heck, I have trouble finishing the to-do lists I make for myself for housework, let alone set goals for marketing!
My next general goal is to get through a couple of rounds of editing. i haven’t set a target date for publication yet.
Amen. Content first. Then marketing. And it ain’t ready till it’s ready.
I am trying hard to NOT start editing on the WIP I just finished. I need to give it time to breathe so it’s fresh when I come back to it.
I’m going through 2 right now looking for skips and holes. Tough to see when you know what’s going on…
I agree to the goals without guilt. I’m in the middle of that right now. I’ve slowed down a lot, but I’m homeschooling and working full time, and that’s just the season I’m in. I’m adding in more writing, but it’s slow going and I’m not going to feel bad about it.
There’s enough guilt thrown around by society and other people that we don’t need to add more stress for ourselves