Happy 2013!! What a great year this promises to be! Starting a new year, or even a new day is like waking up to a clean slate, or in my case as a writer, to a new word document! Either way, opportunity abounds each and every day. One sure way to take advantage of those opportunities is to set goals. Setting a goal or a number of goals gives focus, validity, and clarity to your writing.
Being the creative type, I sometimes find goal setting confining. To combat that, I keep my eyes on my end result, asking myself what I want to accomplish and how it can be accomplished. I have found that even non-specific goals, such as a goal to be more consistent, can carry great influence. It's easy to take a non-specific goal and make it more specific with a plan. Even if you're a free-lance writer who does not earn your entire income from writing, you should have a plan, a business plan, for your writing.
Being the creative type, I sometimes find goal setting confining. To combat that, I keep my eyes on my end result, asking myself what I want to accomplish and how it can be accomplished. I have found that even non-specific goals, such as a goal to be more consistent, can carry great influence. It's easy to take a non-specific goal and make it more specific with a plan. Even if you're a free-lance writer who does not earn your entire income from writing, you should have a plan, a business plan, for your writing.
GOAL - PLAN - ACTION
Your next step, after setting a goal and making a plan, is to take action. Go ahead, set that goal! Make that plan! Now get up and make it happen! It's your goal, it's your plan, it's you who has to take action. Below, I've outlined one such goal setting/plan making/action taking idea:
GOAL:
To blog more consistently
PLAN:
Set weekly blogging goals.
Brainstorm for fresh ideas daily.
Research trends to stay current.
Work to keep content fresh
Write ideas down daily.
Keep new and interesting pictures ready to use
(I use all my own photography on my blogs.)
Read. A lot.
Network often.
Market wisely.
ACTION:
Well, you're reading the first result of my action!
Have you set writing goals for 2013? I have many more than just this one. I hope you set many goals for 2013 and work to accomplish every one of them. Join a writer's group which will help keep you on track. If there is no writer's group in your area, start one. I did that here where I live and it has been a great help to me as well as my fellow writers.
Happy New Year!
Happy Writing!
~Tricia
Blogging was scary at first but then . . . hey, it got fun. Who knew that could happen. (I used that, but was very aware of it!)
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