This series looks at setting yourself up for success in the new year. January is the perfect time to set a course for the months ahead. It’s typically a slow period for freelancing and the weather invites introspection and planning.
The last blog discussed finding your motivation—your why. Why do you write? Why does it matter?
Now let’s look at what you want.
The only way to achieve a goal is to set one. The best way to set one is to figure out what you want and how you will achieve it.
Ask yourself questions. This process relies on questions. What do you want? Specifically? And how does that fit into the vision you have for your writing? What is your vision? What do you see for yourself this year when it comes to writing?
This is the time to get real. Why do you really want to write and what do you hope will happen if you do? Are you seeking fame and fortune? Because if you are, you will struggle and likely fail. Those are not strong enough motivators to push you through the steps and stress required to succeed. But if you want to establish a thriving business that will let you pay your bills and live on your writing, then you can do this. If you want to finish writing a novel, you can do that. Be reasonable in your expectations. It takes time to build a business or finish a novel.
Let’s start with your vision. What do you really want? What do you need? Those may not be the same answers. Want is desire. It’s what we hope for. It’s aspirational. Needs are more immediate. You need to earn enough to pay your mortgage and utilities. You need to have money to eat.
Your needs are the bare minimum you need to survive in order to achieve your vision. What is that bottom line? What would make writing a viable pursuit for you? What do you need to make your vision a reality?
It may not be money. If your goal is to write a novel this year and you are not dependent on earning an income from it yet, then you can focus your vision and goals on more personal and meaningful measures. Perhaps it is completing a novel with 70-80k words this year and editing it enough to pitch and sell it? Perhaps it is finishing a first draft? What do you want to make happen this year? And that is how you should look at it—making it happen. Not what do you want, but what are you willing to do to make it happen? What is your goal on that level?
You may be looking at a hybrid—having a goal for your freelance writing business (likely a monetary goal) and a personal goal to write a screenplay or novel or short stories. Commit them all to paper. The more refined your vision and goals are, the easier they will be to achieve.
In the next blog, we’ll start to break down your broader vision and goals into more actionable steps.