|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Write SMART: How to Create Terrific Writing Goals - And Achieve Them!
Open up your favorite calendar and circle today's date. Why? Because no matter what day it is, you've been given a wonderful gift: a bright and shiny year ahead to make your writing dreams come true. What are your writing goals for the coming year? If you don't have any, this is the perfect time to create them. Clear goals help you stay focused as a writer. If you choose what you want to accomplish, you can arrange your time and priorities to get them done. Take five minutes right now to decide what big things you'd like to achieve this year. (I'll focus on your writing, but this technique can work for any area of your life.) A long-established acronym, SMART, can help you create great goals. SMART stands for Specific Here's how each of these words can help you succeed. Specific: When determining your goals, be precise. Instead of "I'll write more this year," consider "I'll complete a new chapter every two weeks." Measurable: For each goal you choose, make sure you can measure progress. For example, how will know you've completed it? Action-oriented: Choose goals you control so they're not at anyone else's mercy. Rather than "This year I'll get a book contract," set goals to complete and polish two novels or mail 30 queries to agents. Risk/Realistic: It's always good to stretch yourself. However, if writing ten pages usually takes you several weeks, don't count on writing six novels this year. Unrealistic expectations can get you so frustrated you'll lose momentum. Instead, create goals that motivate you without being burdens. Timed: Setting a particular deadline will help you pace yourself to get things done. For each of your goals, establish a completion date. Next, take these big SMART goals and figure out what smaller steps you'll need to achieve each of them. Design these subgoals to be SMART too! Once you have a list of goals for the year, put them where you'll see them every day. Print them out and tape them to your computer, your office wall, even your bathroom mirror. See them, know them...do them. Writers, I hope this coming year brings everything you wish for. More importantly, I want you to *make your dreams come true*! Katey Coffing, Ph.D. © 2004 All Rights Reserved About The Author Katey Coffing, Ph.D. is a novelist and book coach who helps women delight in writing (and finishing!) their books. Visit her at http://www.Women-Ink.com/. To receive additional articles and tips for women writers, subscribe to Katey's ezine, The Write Calling, at http://www.Women-Ink.com/the-write-calling.htm. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Please do, as long as you include the above short bio and blurb with it. (A short note to Katey to let her know would be appreciated! Contact her at https://www.hform.com/form.cgi?1717945)
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Unwritten World Of The Reality Of Letterwriting You may wonder why I have chosen this title of this post. Well from my experience is that it is really hard to put the feeling into words about what letter writing means to me. Letter writing is becoming a lost art on many levels. It is fading into the background of society. It is still practised by many people. It is those people that I am looking to connect with. I have been told by many people whom have read my posts that they feel the same way about letter writing as I do. I want to hear from those people what they feel; I want to hear their words. How You Can Take Advantage of the Increasing Demand for Freelance Online Writers The freelance writing market is a growing market to be in. There are many jobs available, but sometimes, it can be hard to find the work that you want, and available at the time you want it to be. All opportunities will help you to develop a career in the field in which you want to, though. First Priority No matter what you are writing, the first priority is write the first draft. Time-Saving Skills to Get More from Your Writing As you set out to create your first niche non-fiction book (and hopefully your first bestseller), you will be supported by a strong motivation to keep your mind focused on the essential business at hand i.e. complete the project, achieve publication, and hit the bestseller lists. 8 Ways to Improve Your Writing Immediately Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer, happily, is "yes." Writers Block - Melting the Ice What does one do as a writer who loves writing and feels empty of creativity? Does The Title Reflect The Story? Short Story Writing Tips ? Rules for Getting the Story Down 1. Write it fast, fix it later. Should I Keep Writing? Writers are an insecure lot. Interviewing an Author: Dont Be Left Speechless Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nikki Giovanni. The names of authors (dead and alive) can go on and on. But I'll let you have first pick! Writing Requires Self-Control The only way to become a writer is to write. That requires a great deal of self-control and dedication, not only writing when the urge is upon you, but even when it is not. That requires seeing the words flow onto the blank page or screen. 7 Devastating Writing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Mistake One: Don't take that tone with me! How to Write Headlines for How-to Articles Want to write a how-to article but can't come up with a topic? 6 Ways to Toot Your Own Writing Horn You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work and you've even sold a few things. You'd like to turn that writing talent into full-time freelancing but you don't enough clients yet. You need to toot your own horn! Write Your Story, Put It On A Website, Sell Millions of Copies Although he has his own website, John Grisham probably does very little self-promotion. When you have Doubleday on your side, most of the marketing is done for you. There are not too many John Grisham's out there though, so the unknown authors, with small publishing houses, have to be responsible for marketing themselves. This is not hard work, but it does take persistence and ingenuity. Follow this model, and you'll be successful. Understanding Editorial Guidelines Editorial guidelines, also known as writer's guidelines, are the rules set forth by publishers for contributing authors. In order to have your article taken seriously you must review the guidelines prior to submission. It is also recommended that you review previous editions of the publication to get a better feel for the types of articles favored by the editor(s). You Cant Always Believe What You See On Your Computer Screen You may not remember this, but in the early days of the personal computer, many industry insiders were predicting a paperless society. Basic Word Processing Tips for Writers Word processors are so widely used now that I tend to take it for granted that most writers know how to perform basic tasks (e.g. double space their work, count the number of words, and indent a paragraph automatically). Every so often, however, I see a manuscript that reminds me that there are a lot of writers who are still using a word processor as they would an old-fashioned typewriter. Voice in Narrative and Dialogue - A Contrast of Writing Styles One of the nice things about being an author is that we can breakany rule we want. (I just did.) It's part of our job description.Language changes through usage -- definitions, spelling, grammar-- and authors can help it do this. But on the other hand, wehave to have some sort of agreement on the language or we won'tbe able to talk to each other. Important Points of Fiction Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
