The creating part is up to the writer. The marketing part is
covered expertly on many sites, so let me hit on organizing,
a key step of which is goal setting. In order to know WHAT you
need to organize, you need to set goals. But what goals to set?
Here's a tip from Executive Coaching for Business Growth.com
on goal setting techniques:
"[Training programs] often include SMART goals - making sure
your objectives are meaningful by making them: Specific
Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound
Some people like SMARTIE goals. That is SMART with the addition
of Interesting and Exciting!! This is a very useful
first step."
I saw the SMART goal tip on several websites. Here's a good
example of how it works. From Ann Roth, we have her excellent
Tip for January 2008, entitled "It's a New Year! Set the Course
for Success:"
"Write the goal(s) on a sheet of paper. Then work backward to
figure out how to get there, step by step. For example, say
your goal is to write a full novel by the end of the year. Write
that down: Complete a 400-page novel by December 31 of this
year. Now work backward. That's 33.33 pages per month. Or 7.69
pages per week. Or, if you write every single day, that's only
1.1 pages per day. But you may not write every day. So factor
out days off for holidays, playtime, etc. By breaking the goal
down into small, measurable steps, you'll map out your plan
for success. Then chart that goal and reward yourself for your
accomplishments."
Hmm, rewards. Now there's an idea I can get behind. Chocolate?
A movie? Reading a book? Sure, as soon as I get my pages done
for the day. It's a new year, and, in my case, a new novel to
write. I'm raring to go. So, a word of caution: Beware of burdening
yourself with too much. Take this advice from Writing for Children
Center.com:
"Don't load yourself down with a dozen or more goals for the
year. Stick to ONLY three goals right now."
Hey, that's sounding even more doable. Advice on setting effective
writing goals from Writing World.com tells us this:
"One of the greatest challenges we face as writers is the lack
of 'structure' in our job... A wise writing strategy includes
a mix of short-term goals ("Today I'll locate five craft markets")
and long-term goals ("Someday I'll write that novel").It's important
to review your progress regularly."
Once you know what you want to achieve, use the link below for
a free download of the Organized Writer calendar. This is especially
useful because of the notes at the bottom of each month (pages
written, queries sent, etc.).
If you're really interested in goal setting, type "writing goals"
or "goal setting" into your favorite search engine.
A last word from multi-published author, Michele Dunaway: "Goal
setting is very key. You have to envision where you want to
be and set a plan to get there. It's a lot of faith and luck,
but at the same time, publishing is a business that takes a
level head, a business plan, and a lot of tenacity and hard
work. Nothing good comes without hard work."
