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Setting Daily Goals
Apr. 10th, 2014 11:09 amThis is something I really need to do for myself. Set some daily goals on what I want, and need, to get done for writing and blogging - I run more than one, and I enjoy them very much. There's also the editing, the revising, critiquing so I can post more for critiquing, and the networking as well as finding work for in the meantime. I wish I had a comfy spot, as David Farland suggests in one of his Daily Kicks, just so I can get as much done in the day as I can. Right now, though, I'll work on daily goals.
You see, I can see the benefit to setting daily goals, Rather than just my usual routine of make coffee, boot up my sister's computer and call up the documents I want to work on, and toast a bagel, I could move forward with each manuscript.
So how would a writer go about setting daily goals? This will vary from writer to writer. My writing needs will differ greatly from someone like Stephen King or even my friends and readers at Scribophile. For me, I would base what I want to accomplish on what the story needs. Do I want to write a chapter a day? Or do I want to focus on the middle and ending sections first so I can reconcile the beginning with each? I'm very reluctant to say set a word count goal. Such goals are okay, but, when the distractions are shut down, turned off, cranking out 500 words a day, 1667 words a day, 3000 words a day can become quite easy. That doesn't necessarily mean your story is moving forward. It doesn't even mean you're working on a novel. However, while I'm reluctant to say use that as a goal, I also won't discount it. Goals need to be what works for you, my fellow writers, not just me. I will say this.
Don't just think about what you want for your daily goals. Write them down. Tack them up where you can see them. Remind yourself that this is what you need to do for this day. I won't say you'll get everything done, but it will be a start.
Now to set my daily goals for today and to get them done.
Author's Note: As part of one of my daily goals, I plan on revising and polishing up a novella originally set to be an entry to Writers of the Future. With the talk of moving going on in my house, I've decided to revamp it, make it a bit longer than the 17k word count cut-off for the competition, and will postpone entering until the fourth quarter. I want to publish this piece sometime this month. I'll post more about it once I've changed the title to something more appropriate along with a summary and publication date.
You see, I can see the benefit to setting daily goals, Rather than just my usual routine of make coffee, boot up my sister's computer and call up the documents I want to work on, and toast a bagel, I could move forward with each manuscript.
So how would a writer go about setting daily goals? This will vary from writer to writer. My writing needs will differ greatly from someone like Stephen King or even my friends and readers at Scribophile. For me, I would base what I want to accomplish on what the story needs. Do I want to write a chapter a day? Or do I want to focus on the middle and ending sections first so I can reconcile the beginning with each? I'm very reluctant to say set a word count goal. Such goals are okay, but, when the distractions are shut down, turned off, cranking out 500 words a day, 1667 words a day, 3000 words a day can become quite easy. That doesn't necessarily mean your story is moving forward. It doesn't even mean you're working on a novel. However, while I'm reluctant to say use that as a goal, I also won't discount it. Goals need to be what works for you, my fellow writers, not just me. I will say this.
Don't just think about what you want for your daily goals. Write them down. Tack them up where you can see them. Remind yourself that this is what you need to do for this day. I won't say you'll get everything done, but it will be a start.
Now to set my daily goals for today and to get them done.
Author's Note: As part of one of my daily goals, I plan on revising and polishing up a novella originally set to be an entry to Writers of the Future. With the talk of moving going on in my house, I've decided to revamp it, make it a bit longer than the 17k word count cut-off for the competition, and will postpone entering until the fourth quarter. I want to publish this piece sometime this month. I'll post more about it once I've changed the title to something more appropriate along with a summary and publication date.
