Setting Goals

Source: http://blog.eosworldwide.com/blog/123729/eos/use-smart-goals-smarter/ accessed 11 February 2017.

When my critique group first began setting yearly goals, we were all newbies with stars in our eyes. We all thought multi-book contracts weren’t only what we wanted but were achievable within a year. It’s one of those situations where you look back on it from a position of experience and wisdom and wonder at your naivety. We’ve got better at the goal setting, gradually adding in more acronyms until we’ve achieved a SMART model.

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. I’ve found if I make my goals SMART, I have a better chance of achieving that goal.

Even so, we don’t always achieve what we aim for. Life happens, priorities change. Last year was one of those years where no one achieved all their goals. Most of us barely reached half.

Last year’s goals:

• Finish final edits and submit Warrior Pledge—DONE
• Restructure and rewrite at least one novel—NOT DONE
• Finish Shatternalia—now called Shattered Lives—another 14000 words written but not finished yet—PARTIALLY DONE
• Write one free short story—NOT DONE
• Bring work to every meeting—DONE

As you can see, I didn’t achieve all of them. In my defence, I did write a completely new book which I’m editing now. It’s the sequel to Warrior Pledge.

I also did the following:

• QWC Bootcamp—a weekend long intensive plotting and writing course
• Camp NaNo
• Open Learning Uni subject on Character Development
• Wrote one new book, currently sitting on 10000 words.

I might not achieve all of this year’s goals either, as I have a pretty major personal thing coming up that’s going to be stressful, time-consuming and, if all goes well, absolutely wonderful.

These are my writing goals for 2017:

• Submit Dragon God (the new book, currently being edited)
• Hot spot (An evening where writers go along to listen to other writers read their work. If your name is called, you read. Totally random.)
• Finish Shattered Lives (Once Dragon God is submitted I can return to this novel)
• Improve my self-promotion (I’ve begun but I’m not very good at this)

 

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