Stop! These 3 writing Goals Will Change Your Life.

It’s no secret that writers live to write, but few write to completion. Does that sound like you? You try for years to get your manuscript written, but find it too hard or too difficult to make any headway on your unfinished project.

When you sit down, pull out your computer, your imagination flows from finger to page, and you’re excited because this is the moment your magical powers of prose will help you actually finish this time around.

When I started writing, I was in the same boat. I tried, tried, and tried some more to finish a story, any story. I wanted a book written so bad. But I had one major problem, my goals were out of alignment.

Setting a realistic goal is the secret that authors like, James Patterson, Ted Dekker, Beverly Lewis, even our own Michelle Griep are able to produce book after book, time after time. And not following a proven pathway to success will keep you from achieving your number one goal, writing a book.

Here are 3 writing goals that will change your life and get you writing today.

1. Know your story before you write.

I coach writers all around the nation and one common thread I find, many don’t know what it is they want to write before they start chapter one. Maybe that’s not you and you have it all figured out, great skip to step two. But, if you want to write your book, you have to know what your book is about.

One bit of advice I give writers is to write their book backwards. It’s something that has taught me how to hone my story down to its bare essentials.

1. Write a two – three-sentence elevator pitch. Distill down the bare essentials of your story: the who, what, when, where, how?
2. Take your elevator pitch and write a 250-word story treatment. This is taking those bare-bones and adding some flesh, to see if it’s worth writing about.
3. Write your last chapter first. This will help you know how your book will end, then back up and begin writing forward. If you’re writing non-fiction, write your introduction first.

This simple exercise will help you discover your story. You won’t know what to write until you do this first.

2. Create a writing ritual.

I believe in creating rituals. They’re powerful and they help you focus on what needs to get done. In other words, they become so second nature that you rarely think about what it is you’re doing.

By establishing something you do every time you write, it will put you in the right frame of mind to allow you to focus on your task at hand. I know that if I don’t have my cappuccino, I can’t think straight. It tells my brain, it’s writing time.

Here’s my writing ritual:

1. Turn off distractions: internet, apps, phone etc.
2. Make a cappuccino.
3. Grab a jar of peanuts.
4. Sharpen pencils and pull out a legal pad.
5. Open Scrivener and read the last chapter
6. Write.

By doing these six things, in that order, my brain is ready to write.

3. Write to a certain word count, daily.

The reason a lot of writers don’t finish their books is they’re too busy focusing on the wrong things. By taking the time to write daily, you not only are putting words to the page, but you’re also creating a habit by which will help you finish your manuscript.

I choose to write around 1,000 words each day. Even if I barely touch my manuscript, I’m choosing to write that many words. The goal isn’t to write well, the goal is to get the words out onto paper. You can always go back and fix things that need fixing.

Now, this doesn’t mean you’re rewriting, these 1,000 words are NEW words. I’m choosing to focus on creating new content. By writing daily and to a certain word count goal, you’re holding yourself accountable.

I don’t get up until I’ve reached my goal. I plow my way through. And yes, that sometimes means throwing out the previous day’s work. But, I’m writing forward and thinking about the end goal; a completed manuscript.