Set a Goal

“I’ll get to it tomorrow.”

“Maybe after watching the football game...”

“I’m too tired.”

“Pizza? Writing? Pizza? Writing?...PIZZA!”

“A movie? No, I need to get some writing done...WAIT!...I really want to see this movie. I’ll write later.”

“Just one quick game of chess...”

“Oh, I love this episode. Kirk and Spock fighting to the death. Writing can wait.”

Distractions, a writer’s worst enemy. How distractions are dealt with can make or break a deadline. For a great idea on how to use distractions to an advantage, scroll down to a previous post. But in order to learn how to eliminate distractions all together, keep reading.

It is a simple, time-honored tradition that all successful writers preach, setting goals. I heard that! I mentioned the words” setting goals” and some of you groaned. You’re thinking, “it’s bad enough I have to write thousands of words on these blank pages before my deadline approaches and you’re telling me to waste time setting goals for myself. OK! Here’s a goal. Finish writing my manuscript before said deadline approaches. Happy?”

When setting writing goals, it is important to have several goals broken down into achievable chunks. It would be unrealistic to expect a 300-page manuscript be completed in a month’s time. That type of goal would not only lead to failure, it would frustrate the author and possibly jeopardize future endeavors. An achievable set of goals is the key. Start out small to keep the pen flowing and to build up confidence. Once the first several goals have been met, gradually increase the workload, never going beyond what is possible.

For my works in progress (WIP), I like to outline a two week time-frame. Day one might be something as simple as coming up with a concept for the book. Thirteen year-old Julian Torres discovers a jeweled stone buried in the backyard of his Dad’s beachfront property in Costa Rica. Extensive research reveals he may have discovered a piece from the legendary Treasures of Lima. A Goal for the next two days is to come up with character names and profiles. Day four’s goal is to write a page length summary of the story. Day five’s goal; create an outline of events. Day six; work on writing the first chapter summary. Next week’s daily goals are to write a chapter summary per day. I then figure out another two week’s worth of goals. Once the first draft starts, I go with a moderate goal of writing two pages per day. With these achievable goals, I will have no problem keeping the fingers pecking away at the keyboard. It also helps me to organize my day. If I really want to see a movie or catch an episode of Star Trek, I make sure to get my writing goal finished first.

Setting achievable goals will move any WIP along at a comfortable rate, keeping the writer satisfied. A satisfied writer (or better yet, a satisfied writer’s characters) can do anything; climb Mt. Everest, wrestle a great white shark, throw the game winning touchdown in a championship game, or solve a fantastic mystery that has baffled authorities for months. So keep those goals coming.

Today’s goal: submit post for “Educated Writer” blog...DONE! Now I can watch Spock take a swing at his captain. Dun dun Da Da Da Da Da Da Da dadun Dah Dah brrrrrraaaaahhhh!!! Or better yet, Chip Douglas battling Steven Kovacs.