Rid Yourself of the Wrong Writing Goals

Look at the date this post was published. Now, without looking at your calendar (no cheating!), what happened 58 days before that?

If you guessed (or knew) that 58 days previous marked the moment 2017 bowed down and surrendered to 2018, you’d be absolutely correct. The transition from one year to the next is a time to deeply breathe in hope for improvements, for change, for new beginnings, and a time to exhale dusty what-could-have-beens. Dreams unfulfilled. Broken relationships in need of mending. Stories and novels stagnating in the brain’s bowels. On January 1st, we make solemn pacts with our soul that this year will be different.

This dying, straining world also reflects this deep longing for new beginnings: the old sinful man becoming new, the promise of a new heaven and earth, and most importantly, the new covenant made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection.

The Lord has infused the world with a sense of new beginnings to such an extent that even non-believers glimpse this throughout life and creation. We see this every new year:

The early snowy months push us to release new goals into our lives: Start a business. Get out of debt. Lose weight. Write that novel by the end of the year. Read 20 (or 30, or 40, or even 2) books.

It’s really not all that hard to start out mildly strong. After all, the past year is exactly that: the past. But then, life happens. Kids get sick. The day job bodyslams deadlines into evenings. Cold winter nights wrap around pipes and threaten watery messes. Dastardly tiredness creeps in. Before we know it, our best laid plans are merely plans forsaken.

Unless some outside pressure is keeping your New Year’s goals on their toes, the easiest response is often one word:

Later.

Why do we fail at our goals?

Each of us has different reasons, but especially for those first stepping out on a new journey (whether that’s writing a book, meeting a reading goal, losing weight, or any number of possibilities), it’s because we make the wrong goals.

I adore reading. Always have. But somewhere along the last decade I found my yearly pile of completed books shrinking. Easy-peasy, I thought. I’ll make one of those fabulous reading challenges on Goodreads. Whipping through such a challenge will be invigorating.

Ehhh…

The reading challenge definitely helped…helped make me further aware that something wasn’t right. The year would start out strong, but then somewhere around month 7 (July, for those of you who are counting), I realized that I’d better hurry up and read more, read faster, or it would be tight work finishing all those books.

Month 8…month 9…month 10…yikes. How many books do I need to read per week to fulfill the challenge??? Somewhere around late October or early November I come to the realization that it’s going to take approximately 7.2 hours of reading per day to make the challenge. With a full time job, not going to happen.

So, I do what any goal-possessed person does. Give up. Oh, I don’t stop reading, but whenever a book is open, somewhere in the back of my mind a thought scratches around and reminds me that I failed again this year. Oh, that January 1st would come quickly so I can start over!

My friend, don’t do this! There is a better way to make progress and work towards the goals and dreams that the Lord has laid on our hearts.

Here’s my challenge:

(And no, contrary to what you may have read into, challenges are not bad, if used correctly): instead of saying, “I’m going to read 25 books this year”, say “I’m going to read for 30 minutes before bed every night” (note: it doesn’t have to be at night, nor does it have to be 30 minutes).

Instead of saying, “I’m going to finish writing my novel this year!”, say, “I’m going to write every day on my lunch break.”

And so forth.

In his fabulous book, “How to make a Living as a Writer”, James Scott Bell says:

“It’s ok to desire things and it is good to set goals and try to obtain them. But expectations are killers. An expectation is an obligation you place on the future…Concentrate on your pages, your craft, and do your best.”

Believe me, as you consistently dedicate yourself to your craft, there will come a time, perhaps sooner than later, to set numerical goals. Challenging yourself to read a certain number of books, or write a certain number of novels in a set period of time will be possible, and sometimes necessary (such as if you land a book deal), but if you’re simply starting out and struggling to make it happen, don’t whack yourself over the head with unpracticed goals. Just start by making a habit. Read a bit every day. Write a bit every day. Do whatever you need to do every day. Then, when you miss a day (or week, or even month), you can jump right back in, one day at a time.

A final (and most important) reminder:

Remember throughout all of your reading, your writing, and your working, in the grand scheme of things it is the Lord you are serving. He instructs us to make the best use of our time, and reminds us that we are also merely the flowers of the grass. The time He graciously lets us use is a gift from Him and not to be squandered.

Therefore, take heart, fellow story seeker, and press on in pursuing your craft!

Share your thoughts!

What other ways have you found to consistently stay writing, reading, etc.?