Like so many writers out there, I have been talking about writing a book for years. I set a goal for myself to have my first book written by *cough* my 30th birthday. What was exciting for me, is that once I sat down, wrote that goal, my mind automatically began searching for a good story. Within 3 months I had the first draft finished. Then, probably still like most, I let that draft sit, collecting invisible dust on my desktop, because after all, I had accomplished my goal--to write a book.
Now I know better. Just because I had a draft doesn't mean the storyline, the conflict, the characterizations, etc., were any good. So, I set a new goal: to edit the new book within 30 days. The problem was, I didn't know how to edit worth beans. So after a few days of correcting typos, grammatical errors, and making notes of where the storyline dropped, I lost sight of editing, and put it back on the proverbial shelf.
I researched websites on how to edit. I read books on how to write well. But nothing, nothing would help me edit my book without me actually pulling the book off that shelf, wiping off the dust, looking at it with fresh eyes, and dissecting all aspects of the book, to insure it was something that I would enjoy reading. Yes, the goal that I never formalized was to write a book that I would want to get published in hopes that a publisher would accept it, and that readers would come across the story and enjoy it. So now, that specific goal (that I can control) is formalized. The hope, which I cannot set a goal for is still there; but regardless, even if a no publisher ever asks to see my manuscript, at least I reached my goal of writing. And that is enough for me.
I'm a big advocate for planning and goals, otherwise I let things fall. But through this process, I have learned something even more-- the goals I make now are a lot more in depth, to help reel my thoughts and work into a safe, designated path. If I set goals, like how many pages I want to write or edit in a day, when my inner-writer wants to go off on some yellow brick road or go fly a kite, I can look down, see my goal for the day, and redirect my efforts to the previously agreed-upon location.
Dream big. Then set tiny, do-able goals, to help you reach that dream--focusing only on the parts you can control.
