What are your writing resolutions for 2025?
Every January, I set my goals for the year ahead. I prefer to call them goals rather than resolutions because there are often milestones involved. According to the dictionary, a resolution is a firm decision to do or not do something, whereas a goal is the object of a person’s ambition or effort (an aim or desired result).
The mistake many writers make is to make ambitious statements without thinking about how they can be brought to life. Aspiring writers often tell me that they’ve always wanted to write a book but life keeps getting in the way. Saying you want to write a book is an admirable, but statements of intent don’t always come to fruition. This is exactly why resolutions (whether written for the New Year or not), need to be broken down into achievable goals.
Setting realistic goals
Writing is unique to the individual, so rather than simply listing ideal resolutions for 2025, this blog looks at how to set and achieve your goals.
In summary:
Reflect and dream
Before you set your goals for the year ahead, it’s worth spending some time reflecting on the previous year. What did you achieve? What worked or didn’t work? Allow yourself to feel proud of your successes and don’t beat yourself up for the things you didn’t manage. Now is the time to dream of new goals and reset for 2025.
Plan and prioritise
It is difficult to achieve goals without having a plan in place. As mentioned above, goals are made up of milestones, so knowing what these are is essential. Let’s say your goal for this year is to write a first book. How are you going to achieve this? Working backwards, create a plan for yourself, using deadlines and schedules to help you complete those milestones.
Prioritising is an important part of the planning process. Researching publishers and editors shouldn’t be the first things on your list if your primary goal is to write a book. Instead, focus on planning and writing a first draft, then you can think about next steps.
Commit to the process
Whether you have one primary goal or multiple, committing to the process is key. If you’ve challenged yourself to write a poem a month, then set aside the time to do it. If you’ve promised yourself to submit to publishers by the summer, then set a deadline and work backwards. Committing yourself to your projects is the only way to see them over the finish line. A half-hearted approach will get you nowhere.
Value productivity
Time and time again, writers tell me they find it difficult to concentrate and are excellent procrastinators. While we are all prone to the occasional distraction, procrastinating is often an excuse for simply not getting things done. This might sound harsh, but learning to place value on productivity will help you achieve the outcome you desire.
The key to productivity is once again setting realistic goals. Don’t set yourself the task of writing 2000 words per day just because your friend does it. Think about the time you do have and work with it, not against it. If you’re only writing 500 words per day, that’s fine. Having measurable markers will break down the process and make the end goal seem more achievable.
Track your progress
Productivity can be marked by progress. If you have set yourself deadlines, you can tick them off as you go. It is natural for things to slip sometimes so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t quite make a certain deadline. Flexibility and adaptability are important too. If you didn’t write your 500 words yesterday because you were tired, try writing 1000 today. Having a schedule in place will help to keep you motivated and will show you which methods are working. You can always switch things up if they’re not!
Focus on improvement
If you’re new to writing, a good goal is to focus on improving your skills. Becoming a better writing will ultimately help you to achieve your goals more efficiently and effectively. There are many ways to improve your craft. You could try something simple, like freewriting in a notebook for ten minutes every morning. If you’re looking for a meatier challenge, you could book into a course taught by a professional writer. Reading more is another way to improve your skills and become more confident as a writer.
If you are already confident with your writing style but still need help refining and polishing your work, now is the time to start looking for an editor. For writers who have already penned a manuscript, next steps are often delayed by the fear of sharing work with others or a lack of knowledge on how to edit and publish a book. If you are suffering from either of these hold-ups, then hiring an editor or mentor may help.
Share your work
Sharing your work for the first time can be terrifying. The idea of sending your precious manuscript to an editor for feedback or to a publisher for your first submission is one of the most nerve-wracking things a writer can do. So, why not start small? Share your work with family and friends. If you’ve already done this, consider sharing extracts online on a blog or social account. You could even submit a story or poem to a magazine. Gradually familiarising yourself with how it feels to share your work will make the process much easier.
Build connections
Being a writer can feel isolating but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re wondering what goal to set yourself this year, why not focus on making connections? Attend events for writers, go to networking groups, share posts online. All of these are great ways to meet like-minded people, share ideas, learn new skills and, ultimately, get your name out there. The sooner you can start building up your reputation as a writer, the easier the marketing process will be once your book is published. Building connections is also a great way to bounce your ideas off other people and gain more confidence as a writer.
Are you ready?
Whether you’ve made a list of goals already or are yet to take the plunge, hopefully this list has helped to spark a few ideas. Remember, this isn’t a competition. Set goals that feel manageable and you may be surprised by how much you have achieved by the end of the year.
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