Posted on 23/02/2023 in Dorothy Says
Word Count Wednesday – Goal Setting
Hello you.
I was really excited yesterday when I did the final readthrough of this letter to send out. I mean, kicking off Mentoring with Dorothy Koomson/The Happy Author is something I’ve been working really hard on and I love the idea of helping other people with their writing.
But then, as it seems to do a lot at the moment, the news crept in and I was once again faced with the utter disregard there is for life all over the world. And I became sad. Mostly because I want more than anything for the people with the power and positions to make real changes to actually do something, to act as though they give a damn about anyone other than themselves and their desperate need to cling onto power. And mostly because I know they won’t do anything to change the status quo.
Because of the sadness, I thought about not sending this letter, I thought about waiting until tomorrow or maybe next week, then I decided, no. I need to do this. I need to help as many people as I can tell their stories, write their books, get on with doing the stuff that can help to change the world.
So let’s get on with it. Let’s do it.
It’s our first Word Count Wednesday and I want to talk to you about goal-setting and goal-keeping.
Can I just say before we start: This is all about you. And what you want from your writing journey. I can’t do the actual writing for you. I can’t get you to sit down and write. All I can do is give you pointers and advice to get you started and keep you going.
People regularly ask me how I stay motivated when it comes to writing. And the short answer is: ‘because this is my job and I need to do it. I have a goal – usually in the shape of a deadline when the book needs to be delivered – and I have to get on with it.’
I have a goal. A specific goal.
Because when I talk about goal setting here, I’m not talking big ethereal goals such as ‘get a publishing deal’, ‘have my books optioned for TV’, ‘see my book in a book shop’ goals – those are good goals, don’t get me wrong. I’m talking specific, solid goals that nail you down to do the actual hard yards.
For me, noting down a goal in a detailed way allows me to see what I’m working towards in the short- and medium-term, which frees up a lot of head space for long-term plans and projects.
Especially for you, I’ve created a Setting Writing Goals Worksheet to help kickstart you actually sitting down and doing the writing.
The purpose of the worksheet is for you to set out your intentions for yourself. Don’t use it as a stick to beat yourself up with – no negative self-talk allowed or necessary. Use it as a jumping off point, the place where you say to yourself, right, this is what I want to do and this is how I’m going to do it. Make that commitment to yourself and get going. You can do it.
You can download the Setting Writing Goals Worksheet here.
(In the PPPS below, I’ve given you some pointers on how to fill in the Setting Writing Goals Worksheet once you’ve downloaded it.)
Don’t forget, it’s Word Count Wednesday so send me your word count – not the writing, just your word count for the week. If you haven’t got a word count, a few lines on what writing you have been doing, will be fine. And I’ll do my best to give you a shout-out in the coming weeks. : )
All good wishes for the week ahead.
Dorothy x
(Please excuse typos – I’m only human)
PS Don’t forget: you can pre-order a signed copy of My Other Husband here and unsigned copies here and here to make sure it arrives in your life as soon as possible after it’s released.
How to complete the
SETTING WRITING GOALS WORKSHEET
My Writing Goal:
Keep your goal short – no more than two sentences. For eg. ‘I want to finish this short story I started. It will be no more than 7,500 words and form part of my short story collection.’ Or, ‘I want to finish this chapter on emotions in business – it will be the backbone of my non-fiction book and be no longer than 7,500 words.’
Why have I chosen this goal?
Be honest about why you’re setting this goal – no one will see it. For eg. ‘This will be the lynchpin to my collection of short stories. I need to get it done so I can get on with other stories’. Or ‘This chapter will let me know if this non-fiction book will work or not.’
What 3 things do I need to achieve this goal?
Again, be honest with yourself about what you need.
For eg.
- Time away from other things I do.
- Self-belief that I can finish it and that it is any good.
- Nail down the plot/ending.
What challenges might I encounter?
Be honest, but don’t talk yourself into a fear spiral. For eg.
- Not finding time to write
- Not loving the story
- Not enjoying the writing process
- Self-doubt about my writing abilities
How will I overcome those challenges?
Be realistic but positive here. For eg.
- Write in my diary specific time work on that story and protect that time like a work meeting I can’t move – Monday 9pm and Wednesday 9pm.
- Finish the story and then decide how I feel about it.
- Focus on the end goal of writing the story and see how I feel about it.
- Read the positive words section to remind myself I can do this.
My writing goal completion date:
Be very realistic but challenge yourself. For eg. ‘3 weeks from now, writing at least 1000 words each Monday 9pm and Wednesday at 9pm every week. More if I get more time.’
Milestones:
Break your goal up into smaller chunks. It’ll be easier to stick to it if you hit more than one milestone before you get to the big goal. For eg.
Milestone 1: 2000 words
Milestone 2: 4,000 words
Milestone 3: 6,000 words
Milestone 4: 7,500 words
Positive words I need to remind myself to keep going.
Be your own cheerleader here. You need one and you’re the best one out there. Banish all negative thoughts in this section, just focus on cheering yourself on. For eg.
- I can do this.
- I’ve done more difficult things.
- I don’t need to worry about anything other than finishing the story.
- I CAN DO THIS.
- This is a story that needs to be told by me.
Now you have the sheet and you have the ways to fill it in, what are you waiting for? Go get ’em, tiger (as they say in original Spiderman).
Enjoy yourself while you do it and if you need any clarification, you can ask in our next Live mentoring session.
** DISCLAIMER ALERT: I must point out that NONE of the mentoring things I share with you can guarantee you a publishing deal, a sign-up with an agent, or even a saleable draft of your book. And no one-to-one mentoring is or will be offered. What it CAN do is help you to focus on writing your book and encourage you to keep going until you get to the next level of your writing.**
