Writer, Set Achievable Goals for 2024

 

By Andrea Merrell

With the changing of the calendar we’re always faced with the same question: What are your resolutions for the New Year?

Unfortunately, as we all know, most of those resolutions start out strong, then fizzle out around mid-February. We mean well but sometimes set our expectations too high and put undue pressure on ourselves: Lose weight. Go to the gym. Eat healthier. Read my Bible more. Clean out the garage. Go on that much-needed vacation. Watch less TV and write more. If we’ve had a particularly rough year, we vow to make up for it in the one ahead. That can seem overwhelming and cause us to give up completely when we can’t get it all done.

I’ve learned the hard way that resolutions don’t work for me. I prefer baby steps. Small achievable goals that I can easily meet and mark off my to-do list. This is especially true in my writing and editing life. As I go into this New Year of 2024, I have editing projects to complete. Various manuscripts of my own that need work. Forms that need to be updated. Schedules to make. Emails to clean out and/or attend to. Much-needed filing. Blog posts waiting to be tweaked and posted. Books that need to be read. Reviews that need to be written. Writing buddies I want to catch up with. Contest entries to judge. Conferences I need to attend.

Whew! Makes me tired just thinking about it.

The old adage about the best way to eat an elephant is simply one bite at a time applies here. Prioritize your tasks, then tackle them one at a time. Most importantly, attend to things you’ve been putting off. You know, the difficult, time-consuming ones.

What does this New Year look like for you? Do you have goals for 2024? Have you given thought to what you’d like to accomplish? If you don’t have anything in mind, here are a few suggestions to get you started”

• Create a website (if you don’t already have one).
• Update your current website (give it a facelift).
• Start blogging (or reach out to some guest bloggers).
• Enter a contest.
• Join (or create) a critique group.
• Attend a workshop or conference.
• Pull out that manuscript you’ve tucked away and work on it.
• Read a new book on the craft of writing.
• Write a review for the last book you read.
• Be part of a launch team to support fellow writers.
• Reach out to other writers you’ve met and build your network.

And remember … we can’t do it all, at least not all at once. Eat that elephant one bite at a time. He’s much easier to digest that way. 😊

If you have other suggestions, we would love to hear them.

Praying God’s richest blessings over you and your writing in 2024.

 

Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash 

Photo by Ricardo Loaiza on Unsplash