Setting SMART Goals
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I want to be the next bestselling novelist of 2012!
I am not generally a goal setter. I shy away from New Year's resolutions because the first time I fail to achieve one of the goals I've set for myself, I become discouraged and give up. I have decided that in 2012, I'm going to change that. I'm going to turn my attitude of fear and failure into SMART goal setting and ultimate writing success.
What is a SMART goal, you may ask. It's a goal that is:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Timely
Can't sell a novel you haven't written.
Let's start with specific. Those of us who are non-champion goal setters may set a goal to become a best selling novelist in 2012. Really? Is your novel written, edited, revised, published, and marketed? Okay, then. Perhaps setting the goal to be a best selling novelist by the end of the year is a bit abstract. Be a bit more concrete, and set your specific goal to writing a complete novel in a certain amount of time.
Next, this particular goal must be measurable. A lot of us dream of writing a novel. Dreaming about something and setting goals to accomplish it are two totally different animals. In order to be serious about achieving your goals, you must be able to measure your progress as you move along. Set yourself a marker, or several. Will I work on this novel daily, weekly, or on a monthly basis? Make sure that the time frame is actually measurable. Set a goal to write a certain number of words on Tuesday, to go back and revise those words on Wednesday, and to continue your story with another certain number of words on Thursday. On Friday, edit and revise everything you've come up with so far.
Is this goal attainable and realistic?
We follow with the question of whether or not our goal is attainable. Do we have a significant amount of time in our lives to devote to reaching our goal? Most of us, even the slower typists, can crank out around 1500 words a day, unedited and unrevised of course, but just in terms of raw production, it's doable. So, you want to write a novel of approximately 100,000 words. At 1500 words per day, you're looking at spending about 67 days from start to finish on the very raw product of your novel. That's just over two months. Is that amount of time that you can reasonably expect to devote to your writing?
Be realistic. Many of us are not full time writers. There are parents among us, folks who hold down full time jobs, possibly working multiple overtime hours. Some of us are teachers, students, caregivers to ailing loved ones, or may simply be battling an illness that doesn't allow us to be at our fullest degree of productivity on any given day. How do we work around the real circumstances of everyday life? First, you may need to take time just for yourself. Most of us write because we must. There is something within us that must come out, and to not write is akin to not having a bowel movement after a huge meal of beans and rice. So, just as you need to build in bathroom time, you should probably build in a realistic amount of writing time every day. If you're shooting for 1500 words, and you type around 35 w.p.m., you only need to come up with 45 uninterrupted minutes daily to put your plan in motion. Keep in mind that these 45 minutes can be set aside five days out of the week. That may mean it takes slightly longer than two months to complete your novel, but it's going to fit more realistically into your goal setting patterns.
Shoot for SUCCESS and ask for some help!
Ultimately, the goal you set for yourself must be timely. Set an end date. For example, if you want to finish your novel by August, set a date in August by which your first draft must be completely written and revised. Knowing for sure how long it will take you to put the rough draft down (just over two months) helps you to know when you can adjust your realistic and measurable goals.
Lastly, find someone you trust and respect to hold you accountable. Novelists have deadlines, folks, and if you're floating around without one, you're likely to continue to be an aspiring novelist forever, rather than a best selling published one.
So, I'm setting a goal for myself to write a complete novel in 2012. I'm shooting for 100,000 words by August 15, 2012. I'd appreciate it if one of you would kindly step up to the plate to hold me accountable. I'm in the process of setting out a more accurate and realistic time table that allows me to live my life and my dream at the same time. Can't wait to see you all do the same! Happy writing, dear friends, and Happy 2012!
- Three Steps to Finishing Your First Novel: Left brained solutions for a right brained problem.
How to start your first novel is never the problem. How to finish your first novel is. What follows is a 3-step, left-brained approach to help you finally get that first book done.
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 | Lots of folks have taken the SMART goal road with a great deal of success. Take a look at this gem from Amazon and get serious about achieving your goals. So many of us don't know where to start, and we're afraid we just aren't SMART enough. This will help increase your goal setting IQ. Amazon Price: $3.99 |
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Mo - very good advice! I am going to apply your tips to my next goal! Thank you very much...I will print it and keep it next to my dest as a daily reminder!
I will be there to offer my support as I plan to wwrite each day as a goal as well! Go girl...great way to start out this new year!!!
ytsenoh, thank you so much for the feedback, and the support. I appreciate it a great deal. I find that when I actually break into measurable little nuggets, completing my first novel isn't quite so scary.
Kel, I'll gladly accept your support as well! My goal is to write at least five days a week, and at least 1500 words per day. And, thanks for using this hub to help you out. That makes me feel quite good. :)
Excellent advice on goal setting. I tend not to set deadlines for myself, although I worked under deadlines for 21 years when I was a tech writer, so why not for myself?
I'll definitely take this advice to heart as I consider some SMART goals for 2012. Rated up and useful. And good luck with your novel. I see you easily completing 100,000 by you date.
This is interesting. Good luck with your novel.
You might be interested to read about my NaNoWriMo experience, which I wrote a hub about last month. (Completing 50,000 words in a month of November, only I started on the 12th.) It was quite a challenge but well worthwhile and maybe some of what I discovered while doing it will be useful for you.
One thing I’d say is that 1500 words of a novel is a lot more challenging to write than 1500 or non-fiction, so go easy on yourself. Your goal of August is certainly a better idea than completing it in 2 months. Wishing you the best with your novel!
PWalker, nice to see you. I've been giving myself such a hard time about failing to meet my goals. I think the key here is to be realistic about what you can accomplish given your life's current circumstances. I have no doubt that you'll achieve whatever you set out after.
Melovy, I signed up for NaNoWriMo and didn't write a single, bloody word. That's why I got down and dirty about how long a decent novel would actually take me. I figured if I did nothing but write for two months, it would be done that quickly...but who actually has NOTHING to do but write for two months living in the real world, you know? Thanks for stopping in, and thanks, as always for the encouragement.
You've got it down pat with the SMART goals Mo. Like how you compartmentalize each component. As far as your personal goals go, if anybody can do it here on the hubs its you lady. Also, congrats on your high placement in the New Hubber thingee too!
Alastar, thank you SO much. :) I've been studying this goal setting process for years, and I'm going to put it into practice at last. May slide back and there, but I'll do it! Thanks for stopping in, kind sir. It's always a blessing to have you. :)
Great hub! Well written, clearly organized, and good information. Voted on up!
Thanks, Suzie! And, welcome to HubPages! ;) I know you've been around for a while, but as Suzie, you're brand spankin' new! Good luck, and Happy New Year!
I'm another one of those non-goal setters - I just don't find them terribly helpful. Also, January comes in the middle of what i think of as the year, since my life revolves around the school year. But 2012 will be different! I have come up with one concrete, attainable goal so far, which will add to my life and be good for my family too. ....Drum roll....I'm going to spend a few minutes everyday flipping through cookbooks and cooking magazines, and make dinners i have never made before! Preferably everyday a new recipe, but at least every other day. I've been in a food rut lately, and now vow to get out of it.
I love your writing resolution. Do we get updates on how it is going? Will you be writing memoir or fiction?
Inspired by you, I am going to set a writing goal too. I need a little time to think & come up with something specific enough to be useful. My writing group has been urging me to get down to it and work on a book, rather than write about this and that in hubs. The thing is that writing hubs by definition gives lots of small goals with positive reinforcement along the way. A novel is a big, long term goal, and the reward can seem way out there. ...Well, anyway, it's a new year, and I need to get down to my novel if it is ever to get started, let alone finished.
Sounds simple enough to me!I'd bet I can do this too. 1500 words is a daily goal and it takes all day to do it. For me, if a lot of dialog is involved, it can go a bit quicker and 2500-3500 ( a rare event) words can be in place in a day. I am always revising the previous day or so of stuff. "Junky" describes the raw words and the continuous editing is what brings it to life for me. You'll need a proper outline, character descriptions too before you write that first page too. For me, that is an entire month of time! The big hold-up is finding an agent so you can get your stuff out there.
So completely true. This is what I do now. At a family party a couple of days ago someone asked each person around the table what our resolutions were, and it was all to do with chocolate and smoking and that kind of stuff that is never kept up beyond, erm ... today! There was a murmur or surprise when I grinningly stated that 'I don't make resolutions' - I think my whole family was disgusted with me for not even trying, ha! But here's the thing, I don't make resolutions because I don't need to! That's not to say I'm better than everyone else, or that I always achieve my goals or whatever - but I have a conscious thought to try harder next time almost every day of the year, so New Year's isn't special in that way to me. Personally, I like to try new things when they pop up out of the blue, not because I've planned them at the end of December.
But if I had to say what my resolutions are, I think it's better to say what I'd like to achieve (as you say), rather than 'what can I give up?', or 'how much weight can I lose?' or any number of generic sort of answers. This year I'll be making some headway with my novel, I'll be earning some money, and I'll be doing a personal cycling challenge. Three big things like that is enough for anyone in a year, no?
Oh, I did NaNoWriMo last January - I wrote my 50,000 words in the month :) But then it was January, my most productive and inspired month. I could never have done it in November - that's a terrible time of year to settle down and write a whole short novel!
Happy New Year Mo :D
Linda.
Great advice, Mo! Thanks for the inspiration. And I will keep and eye on your progress! :-)
grace, great to see you! I am hoping to begin regular updates as I progress through my novel, but I'm a little nervous that in updating the process I may lose my motivation for it. That said, I'm planning on fiction, with perhaps some elements of my own life story thrown in.
Good luck with your writing goals, and I hope the family is grateful for the cooking ones. :)
Mr. Jay, I'm going to start working on an outline this week. I'm going to hold off on an agent until I can actually complete the first novel. It's GREAT to see you, and you may be hearing from me soon. Much love.
Dexter, my dear! Thanks for the kind words. I promise that I will be keeping as many folks as possible apprised of my progress. Hope Chitown is treating you well. Miss that great city! :D
"There is something within us that must come out, and to not write is akin to not having a bowel movement after a huge meal of beans and rice."
You made me lol with this one. Very true, though.
I have been playing with an idea for about 6 months now and so far all I've managed are some character sketches, some research, random scribblings, and lots and lots of excuses to wait. But you're absolutely right. Deadlines are necessary. So I think I'm going to follow your plan. I want to have a (very) rough draft finished by August 2012. If you need someone else to hold you accountable, I am willing. I could sure use a push here and there as well.
LINDA!! I'm so sorry, I neglected to answer your comment. I had lots of thoughts in regard to it, so I assure you I didn't ignore it. :D
I'm with you. A lot of the reason that I resist New Year's resolutions is because I don't think making them around the New Year gives them any particular weight. We SHOULD be working all year to become better people. That said, MUCH luck with your cycling challenge. Concerning NaNoWriMo being in November - you're right, it sort of stinks. Especially because the beginning of the holidays comes right at the end of the month, and few people are ready to dive in after having had their head buried to write a novel!
Honey, thanks for being so supportive, and so PATIENT waiting for me to answer your comment. I'm a clod, and I apologize.
:D
emichael - you are the man! I'm so excited that you're going to challenge yourself to reach that particular goal.
I'm glad I made you laugh, but you know that feeling I'm talking about, don't you? That bloated, about to explode feeling of having something that absolutely MUST be written down and shared? Of course you do.
I'll shoot you an email about the accountability thing.
:D Good to have you back, buddy.
Of course I know that feeling. I didn't get much chance to write while I was gone and now I'm too jet lagged to form comprehensible thoughts and I feel like I'm going to pop :)
But it's good to be back. I'm looking forward to a productive year of writing. Time to make things happen!
Get some rest. THEN write. :)
MO,
I wish you the best with your novel. Do you know what it will be about? I have set other "personal type" goals for this year yet I really want to set writing goals as well. Thank you for this well written advice.
Sharyn
I've been turning this over in my head - I think i will set time goals, as that works better for me than page goals. Also, when i get into writing I don't want to stop, and my family will starve and have no clean clothes if i don't curtail my furious scribbling at some point. i got a new datebook to inspire myself, a different publisher from the datebooks i have had for the past 6 years. Shaking myself out of some serious ruts here.
Sharyn, I have a very good idea of where I'm going to start. Originally, I was planning a novel, but I'm going to take the best advice and write what I know, which may result in non fiction. :) I'm outlining as we speak.
grace, that's great! Shaking out of ruts is always a good thing. Time goals or word goals...try whatever works best for you. Plus, I don't want to be responsible for anyone starving or going naked! :D
ytsenoh Level 7 Commenter 4 months ago
I voted this up because of the way you presented your advice--simple, meaningful and very understandable, not overly complicated at all. Thank you. After having set that same goal regarding finishing a book project, which I did as well as self-publishing same, it is a very doable and reachable goal. You have to be so motivated and determined and planning is so important. Prioritizing your time is vital. I work in a law firm by day and make wedding cakes as a hobby and I write every night (unless finishing a cake!). I would be happy to support making you accountable. Do it, do it, do it, I say...then you can find time to play (or was that Dr. Suess?) Best of luck on your endeavor!