A New Year Means New Goals by Raima Larter

Happy New Year! Now that we've put 2012 to bed and 2013 has officially begun, it's time to make (or, perhaps, finalize) a list of writing goals for the year. Some people start each year by making resolutions ("I will write more!", or some other admirable statement), but for me, setting concrete goals is a much better way to approach a new year.

A resolution is a statement of resolve to do better. This is good; it sets an intention for the year, and it allows us to make a statement about how we want to change. The problem with a statement of resolve, though, is that there is rarely a way to test it, rarely a way to know if you're moving in the right direction.

Concrete goals can do the same thing for us as resolutions but have the added advantage of being measurable. If you replace the statement, "I want to write more!" with "I will write 500 words every day, M-F," or "I will write for 20 minutes every morning," and you make a notation on your calendar as soon as you do that each day, you will know just by glancing at that calendar if you're achieving your goal.

I've set some writing goals for myself this year. One of the goals involves editing and revising the novel draft I wrote during NaNoWriMo. The goal is stated numerically ("Produce 30 pages of revised text every three weeks") so it will be easy to tell if I'm making progress toward this goal.

Thirty pages of revised text is not an oppressive amount of writing. I set the goal number low because I know that this is merely one item in my list of goals. I also have short story goals ("Finish and submit one short story per month") and a set of goals that have to do with background work and pre-writing for the next novel I have in mind.

The other reason my numerical goals are more contained than usual is that I want to leave space and time for the unexpected. Last year's set of goals had nothing to do with the novel I am now working on because I didn't even have the idea for it until March!

What are your writing goals for the year? What do you hope to accomplish and how will you know when you've gotten there?

I have a good feeling about this year and I hope you do, too. Use the comment spaces below to share your thoughts and plans for the coming year. Happy writing, and happy new year!