Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 115

Don’t Forget About Your Secondary Characters

For many writers much of their story is focused on their protagonist - this is the main character in your novel, the one whose journey we follow throughout, the one we are most invested in, and the one who really counts.

However, no book has one character alone, and it is important to pay just as much attention to developing your secondary characters in order to make your story a memorable one.

So many well-loved heroes and heroines have a sidekick that they couldn’t live without. From a sarcastic best friend to a supportive sibling or a wise and inspiring mentor - these characters are significant, and in some cases can even become the secret star of the show.

So how can you make sure that you give your secondary characters the attention that they deserve? Here are some easy ways to ensure that they stand out and add depth and new dimensions to your work.

Make them funny

Your protagonist's sidekick is a great character to make the ‘funny one’ in your story. Even if your story is a serious one, injecting humour here and there will really bring it to life and help your readers engage with it further. Having a token funny character can provide relief from intense scenes and secondary characters are the ideal people to inject humour into your novel.

Give them secrets

Building a little mystery into your novel is always a good thing, and secondary characters will stand out more if readers are intrigued by them. By giving your characters a secret they become exciting and readers, therefore, want to know more about them. The secret must be integral to the story in order to align with readers expectations, and when it is revealed bring about an unexpected change.

Make them enablers

Good secondary characters act as enablers to your protagonist. They are invaluable and the story simply wouldn’t work without them. It is, therefore, crucial that writers make these characters important, give them responsibilities and make it clear to the reader that the protagonist could not complete their journey or achieve their goals if that character was not around.

Kill them off!

Off course, one way to really make a secondary character really memorable is by killing them off! There is nothing quite as dramatic as an unexpected death after all.

If this wouldn’t work for your story then just by evoking some sense of sympathy for your secondary character still helps your reader engage with them. Tragic things can happen to secondary characters to bring them into the limelight, make readers sit up and take notice of them and evoke sympathy which will make them care for and feel closer to those characters too.

Make them noticeable

Whatever you do make sure your secondary characters are noticeable and unique. If they all sound and act the same, your reader is going to have trouble paying attention to them. Give them big, individual personalities, character traits and quirks to make them really stand out.

Your secondary characters play a huge role in your stories so make sure that you pay attention to them and dedicate as much time and effort to developing them and their role in your book as you do your main protagonist!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Don’t Forget About Your Secondary Characters appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

8 Tips To Instantly Improve Your Writing

When it comes to improving our writing there is always more to learn. Be it understanding how to structure a plot, how to write great characters or simply how to get stuff done, there is always more we can do, and a wealth of tips and information out there to help us.

With this in mind here are 8 quick writing fixes!

Don’t write lazily

It’s important to understand the difference between silencing your inner critic and writing without paying any attention at all. Good writing requires effort and concentration, and while our first drafts are never going to be our best work, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give them our all. Pay attention to how you write and always sit down with the attitude ‘I am going to do my best today.’

Be observant

Good writers notice things. Make sure that you tune in to the world around you. It’s full of exciting and inspiring things that can really boost our writing. The best work makes clever observations about the world and the people within it and so make sure you watch people, read everything, eavesdrop on conversations, and look up more.

Learn more words

The better command you have of the English language the richer and smarter your writing will be. Use a dictionary and a thesaurus, if you are looking for an interesting or unusual description check out the synonyms of more common words. The dictionary is an amazing resource that not many writers actively use in their day to day writing, but getting into the habit of doing so can improve your command and knowledge of language and help you craft sentences and arrange words in surprising and original ways.

Always read your work aloud

If you want your writing to be effortless you need to make sure your reader doesn’t have to make an effort to read it. Reading your work aloud can really help writers to gain a better insight into how their writing flows and will highlight any parts that sound awkward or uncomfortable.

Avoid clichés

We are all guilty of including cliches in our work from time to time. The important part is to learn when you are doing it, and make sure that you go back and revise these parts of your book to make them more interesting and unique. Readers should be impressed and surprised by how you capture imagery and emotions by using language in a way that isn’t usual. If you describe things in ways that have been done 100 times before it’s easy for readers to quickly become turned off and bored with your writing.

Try writing by hand

Many writers may baulk at the idea of writing by hand, however doing so makes the whole process much slower…which can actually be a good thing. We spend so much time on our computers these days we can almost type without really thinking about what we are writing. Going back to hand written work can help writers pay more attention to the stories they are crafting - just make sure you store the paper in a safe place!

Always write with the reader in mind

A good story is all about communicating something to the reader. A good communicator is a translator, they will almost remove themselves from the process as they try to explain themselves to others. They will acknowledge that the way they understand and see the world isn’t necessarily how someone else will and in order for them to be understood they must be able to express what’s in their head in a clear and relatable way.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

Many writers spend their whole writing career criticising themselves, riddled with self-doubt and of the opinion that they are talentless time wasters who should get a ‘real’ job. It’s important to remember that tenacity, perseverance and a strong will are as important in the writing game as raw talent is. Writing is an art, and therefore there is no right or wrong way of doing it, and you can always, always get better - it’s just about not giving up and putting the time and effort in to do so!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Can You Have Too Many Characters In Your Book?

It is natural when writing a story to include many different characters, from your protagonist whose journey readers will follow throughout, to sub characters who play a more minor, but still important role, to those who appear only for a fleeting moment such as a shopkeeper or waiter.

The question around whether a book can have too many characters is an interesting one, and the answer is complex. Really, it is all about how you present your characters in the novel as to whether the reader ends up feeling as though there is character overload or not.

The danger of introducing too many characters to your book is that readers end up losing track of them. There is nothing more irritating then enjoying a good story and then suddenly becoming confused by many different characters being together in one room, or having to flick back to remember who is who and how they are related to one another. Essentially, confusing the reader is a big no-no.

So how do you know if you have too many characters in your book, and how do you avoid character overload? Here are some useful tips:

Think about names

Characters names are important. If you use too many long, foreign, overly complicated ones it will be easy for your reader to get muddled. That’s not to say your characters can’t have strong, revealing names, but try to make sure they are all memorable and different to one another.

Make introductions count

If you want to make sure a reader remembers your character, give them a strong and unique description when you first introduce them. Unusual details about their appearance, the way they talk, act or move will help readers remember who’s who.

Are they different enough from one another?

If your characters all sound and look the same they could easily all merge into one. Make sure your characters stand out from one another to avoid a reader feeling like they are just in a world where everyone is a clone of your protagonist.

Who is speaking?

When you have lots of characters in a room it is easy for conversations to get cluttered. Try to make it clear when it comes to who is saying what to ensure the reader doesn’t become confused and lose the plot!

Are there too many stories for readers to keep up?

There is no reason why you can’t have several stories unravelling within your novel. However, if you have too many important characters in your book it will be difficult for readers to follow, and indeed, remain interested in them all.

Do characters stories link together? Do we care about them? How do they influence the main story?

Really think about how each and every one of your characters drives the story forwards. If they don’t affect your story in some way you need to think about whether they really have a role in your book in the first place. If in doubt, take them out - and see how your story reads without them.

Character overload is something we can all be guilty of and is something definitely worth paying attention to. Try to spread out introductions and think realistically about how many characters your readers can follow as well as whether they really belong in your story- if they don’t your readers probably won’t find them that memorable, to begin with!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post Can You Have Too Many Characters In Your Book? appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

What Will A Good Editor Do For Your Book?

Many self-published authors find it difficult to decide whether to hire a book editor to go through their manuscript before they publish. On the one hand, it seems like a good idea and will hopefully ensure your book is in the best possible shape it can be before you set it free, on the other it can seem like a waste of money - there is no requirement to have your book professionally edited after all, so why bother?

Of course, as with anything, there are different levels of service that you can request. Some book editors will simply read your book and alert you to any obvious errors. Others will give you a hugely in-depth analysis of your novel and make numerous suggestions including ones around plot, structure, characterisation and language.

Understanding the role of an editor and what a good editor can do for your book is important. If you are clear on what they can and can't do for you then you can then research and hire an editor that offers you what you want for your book.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what a good book editor can do.

Your editor will notice the phrases you repeat over and over again in your manuscript (ones that you have become totally blind to).

Your editor will help make your manuscript grammatically flawless, as well as correct any punctuation and spelling mistakes.

Your editor will make comment on your plot and help you to solve any parts where you are struggling and can’t see a way out.

You editor will be honest with you about where you need to change parts of your book, where bits aren’t working, and how you can improve your book overall.

You editor will help you to ‘kill your darlings.’

Your editor will provide support and encouragement and help you to believe that you are a gifted writer and that your book is one worth reading.

Your editor will tell you if your book is not ready, and why.

Your editor will tell you when your characters thoughts, speech or actions don’t make any sense.

Your editor will find any inconsistencies in your book and suggest how you can amend them.

Your editor will point out when your descriptions need to be more lively

Your editor will tell you when your writing is cliched.

Since we’re on the subject, it’s also important to understand what an editor can’t do.

Your editor cannot be expected to offer any guarantees about the number of books you sell.

Your editor can’t put the time and effort that is required into crafting a novel on your behalf.

Your editor can’t force you to listen to them.

Your editor can’t make your book perfect.

Your editor won’t have all the answers when your book gets rejected.

Your editor can’t be expected to be at your beck and call 24/7.

Hiring an editor for a self-published book, or indeed a book you are trying to get accepted by a mainstream publisher is usually a wise idea. If you want your book to be the best it can possibly be, having a professional offer their opinion, wisdom and expertise is only going to help.

So if you are thinking of hiring an editor for your book, decide in what capacity you would like them to work with you, and then you can find the right editor for you.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Make Your Writing Tighter, Clearer and Better

When it comes to editing your manuscript, it is important to pay attention to how your writing flows. Your reader should be able to read your book without effort.

If your writing is confusing, wordy or awkward they won’t be able to do this. There is nothing worse then a reader being aware that they are reading - they want to immerse themselves, to get lost in your story, and the way that you can ensure this happens is by tightening up your prose, cleaning up your manuscript and writing with clarity throughout.

So how can you do this in practice? Here are some helpful tips:

Simplify your sentences.

Your writing doesn’t need to be complicated and convoluted, writing simply is often best. You want to be descriptive and build a picture but you also should never say something in ten words that you could say in five. If you stuff your book full of complicated language and long sentences it will become more difficult to read. An easy way to achieve this is deciding whether a word is actually necessary to a sentence - if it isn’t, just delete it.

Use the active voice

Using the active voice is so important, it makes your writing come alive, it brings immediacy and therefore helps to draw the reader in. Look out for instances where you slip into the passive voice and amend these sentences so they are active.

Read your story aloud

Reading your story out loud is so helpful. It picks up mistakes but also helps you to see whether it flows well, whether the pace is right, and whether there are any parts that need a total makeover. You can even record your book and then play it back to yourself to really make sure you weed out any errors and note any bits that could be improved.

Check your grammar

Good grammar is so important and a grammatically flawless manuscript will help your book read well. If you aren’t too hot on grammar an online checker such as Grammarly could help.

Get specific

Don’t be afraid to be direct in your writing. If you make your writing too much like hard work you could easily put readers off. Mystery and intrigue are great devices, but if a reader can’t understand your characters actions or motivations they’ll find it difficult to relate or find your story believable.

Don’t sensor yourself during the first draft.

While paying attention to how clear and tight your writing is is important, it’s best to wait until your first draft is finished before you become too strict with yourself. Otherwise, you could find that your writing goes nowhere.

First drafts should all be about getting your story out - you can go back and make it clearer and smarter once you’ve got it down.

What tips do you have to edit your writing? Share them with us below!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How to Get a Self-Published Book Into A Library

If you are a self-published author you’ll no doubt be trying to market your book in every way you can. Getting your book to as many readers as possible is, after all, the ultimate goal. While approaching bookstores is an option, often it is only smaller, independent bookstores who are happy to stock copies of your book on a sale or return basis. Larger more mainstream shops, on the other hand, tend to only accept books that have come to them from publishing houses.

Another option is to try and get your book stocked by libraries. While you are never going to make your fortune this way, there is something rather wonderful about knowing your book is available in libraries and can be read over and over again by people who visit the library for many years to come.

So how do you go about getting your self-published book into a library? Try the following steps:

Make sure it’s ready

If your book looks like it has been written and printed by an amateur your library simply won’t accept it. On the other hand, if you have a professionally designed cover, and it’s properly formatted with an enticing blurb on the back, you chances are far higher.

Get reviews

If your book has lots of positive reviews and you have a website for it, make sure you mention this as it’s important your book looks as professional as possible. Getting reviews can be tough, but by promoting your book through Goodreads and Amazon your should be able to build up your reviews. You could also try to land a review from Library Journal, CHOICE, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, or Kirkus Review too.

Do your research

Approach the right person at the library - don’t just send out a general enquiry. Find out who is in charge of acquisitions and get in touch with them via phone or email. Explain who you are and what your book is about. Say you are happy to donate copies for free, and that you can give him/her a copy to look over if this would help make their decision.

Go local

Your local library is always going to be more likely to accept you than a library in a random place. So make sure you explain that you are a local author and say you’d be happy to do book signings or come in for an author Q & A too.

Ask people to request it

Most libraries will order a book even if just one person requests it, so get friends and family members to go to your local library and request your book. If they get one or two requests for the same book chances are they will stock it. Remember - don’t go overboard. If a librarian suddenly receives 10 requests for a copy of a book they’ve never heard of in the same week - they know it’s likely to be fake and will, therefore, ruin your chances of getting your book stocked there altogether.

Getting your book into libraries is a great way of exposing it to more readers. Follow the tips above to give yourself the best chance of making it happen for you.

 

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post How to Get a Self-Published Book Into A Library appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Make Your Writing More Dramatic

Injecting drama into your writing is so important. If you don’t you are simply telling your readers about a sequence of events where perhaps nothing really happens - there is no excitement, there are no surprises.

Dramatic writing engages your reader and immerses them in the story, and makes them want to keep on turning those pages in order to find out what happens next.

So how can you inject some drama into your writing?

Create suspense

Creating suspense in your novel is an easy way to inject some drama into your writing. If a reader feels tense and on edge, and can’t wait, but also can’t bear, to find out what happens next, you are heightening the tension and the drama which - both of which will make your book all the more enjoyable and give it that 'unputdownable' edge.

Have a twist

A good twist near the end of your book is a great way to get those readers hearts racing. If you suddenly turn the story on its head, or reveal something about a character that changes everything your story immediately becomes more exciting and thrilling.

Write in real time

If we are not careful sometimes our books can read like a report of a series of events rather than an intriguing and exciting story. Readers don’t need to know what happens in your book step by step, they need to feel as though events are unravelling in real time, this makes everything seem more immediate and fast-paced.

Make sure there is lots of action

Action is key to any story. Let’s face it there is nothing worse than pages and pages of text where nothing really happens. Always make sure that your story is moving forward and there are lots happening, otherwise, it’s easy for your writing to become stagnant and for readers to lose interest.

Use lots of dialogue

Conversations between characters can really move your story forwards and can be used to heighten the drama too. Use your characters conversations to reveal secrets, to have heated arguments, to demonstrate how your characters are feeling and the dynamics between them without having to spell it out to the reader. When it comes to dialogue it’s not just what your characters say, but the way that they say it that can really heighten the drama in your book.

Use vivid descriptions

When you describe scenes, emotions, and characters try to be clever, unique and interesting when it comes to your descriptions. Using vivid descriptions sets the scene and creates a backdrop against which your action will take place. Arresting descriptions will make your readers sit up and take notice of what’s going on and by doing so will feel more alert to the dramatic events that unfold when they do.

All good books have riveting, stirring, and animated plots that take the reader on a journey. Creating drama is a huge part of any novel, so next time you sit down to write make sure that you are injecting enough drama in your novel to keep those readers hooked!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Get More People To Read Your Book

Marketing your book is arguably one of the hardest things an author has to do. For many authors, while they feel comfortable writing their stories, editing them and finding the best way to publish them, when it comes to actually getting people to read their books they come to a grinding halt.

The good news is that there is plenty you can do to promote your book and find new readers. Some of these take considerable time and effort (and you won’t always get it right the first time), some require a budget, and others are simpler, though perhaps not quite as effective.

So let's look at some of the things you can try to encourage people to read your book and find new readers:

Describe it well

A good book blurb is your chance to really sell your book to people that stumble across it and can make all the difference between those who simply carry on browsing, and those who click to buy. Learn how to make your book sound as exciting and enticing as possible. Think about what makes you decide to read a book. Look at other book cover blurbs and descriptions and gain some inspiration from there.

Book Clubs

A good way of getting your book more widely read is to offer it to book clubs. There are book clubs everywhere, all over the world. Some are virtual and some are local groups. Find them, contact them, and offer your book for free. You could even join in the discussion or come along to local groups to talk about it afterwards. Ask participants who loved it to promote it on social media, and so word of mouth will start to spread.

Friends and Family

When you first publish your book you are confident that all your friends and family will definitely buy it and write you glowing reviews. You’ve got over 200 friends on Facebook - you’ll practically be a bestseller on day one.

Unfortunately the reality is that it is surprisingly, often bafflingly difficult to get them to do it. Be persistent with your friends and family and make sure you ask everyone. It’s interesting to discover that those friends who you haven’t heard from in five years are delighted to read your book, yet getting your own sister to has been like pulling teeth!

Get it into libraries

Approach your library and explain you are a local author and ask if they would be willing to take a copy or two of your book. It may not be the way to sell more books but once you are in then it could be read by many people over the years. You could also ask if you could leave some cards promoting your book on the front desk -if you don’t ask you don’t get!

Find your audience

Promoting your book is all about finding the right people to read it. The importance of figuring out who your audience is and appealing directly to them cannot be underestimated. Take your time to research your audience. Who are they? Where are they? How do they shop? What excites them? What turns them off? How much will they spend on a book? What time of day are they most likely to buy a book? Are they impulsive or cautious with their purchases? Do they love a bargain? What is irresistible to them? If you know your audience inside out you’ll find it much easier to come up with creative ways of reaching them.

Freebies

Let’s face it, everyone loves a freebie and one sure fire way to get someone to read your book is to give it to them for free. Do a Goodreads giveaway and you’ll be surprised how many people enter, gently ask if the winners would write you a review if they enjoyed it. If you have published your book through Amazon you could offer it for free on Kindle for a limited period of time - if you do you are likely to see a real boost in ‘sales’ which could lead to more people buying your book even when the free period has ended.

There are no miracles or shortcuts when it comes to getting more people to read your book and a combination of persistence and experimentation is best. If you keep persevering and trying new things, there is no reason why you shouldn’t see the sales of your book increase.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Handle Criticism

One of the hardest parts of being a writer is facing criticism of our work. It’s one of those quite odd things when you think about it. You would happily sit through a meal someone had slaved over for hours, not enjoying it but making all the right noises and congratulating the chef at the end. Or someone might ask you what you think of their outfit and you just don’t have the heart to tell them they look like they are supposed to be going to a fancy dress party.

In fact, in many other aspects of life people tend to tell white lies in order to save the feelings of others. Whether this is the right or wrong thing to do of course depends whether you believe in total brutal honesty or prefer to spare someone’s feelings even though it might lead them to looking like a bit of a fool - ignorance is bliss as they say after all!

When it comes to writing, however, because we offer our work up to total and complete strangers, they have no problem telling us exactly where we have gone wrong. I can’t help but wonder if they knew how much blood, sweat and tears had gone into our craft, whether they would actually look upon it with more sympathetic eyes?!

Of course, it is important to have our work criticised, it is important to get feedback from readers, from publishers, from teachers and fellow authors. If everyone tells us that we are amazing we’ll end up being akin to one of those poor children auditioning on the X Factor, blinking back the tears as everyone laughs and boos at them because they can’t understand it - mummy and daddy always told them they were exceptionally talented after all.

However, it’s hard to stop ourselves from taking criticism personally, and even the friendliest, gentlest suggestion to change or amend our work come sometimes feel like a deeply cruel and intentional stab in the heart.

‘How could you do this to me?’

We wail when a friend tactfully points out an inconsistency, a bad character name, or a missing comma in our novel. We fling ourselves on the bed and refuse to talk to them ever again.

In short, we can take things quite personally, and bit a little dramatic.

Let’s face it. You need a thick skin to be a writer. So let’s learn how to become better at taking criticism and more able to learn from it too.

Don’t react right away

If you receive criticism it may be hard for your initial reaction to be anything other than hurt or upset. So don’t react right away. Wait until you are able to feel more level headed and are willing to accept constructive criticism and listen to what other people have to say.

Listen

It’s so easy to get defensive as soon as someone starts to critique our work, but if we don’t give other people a chance to have their say and actually listen, we might never realise that they are in fact, probably just trying to help us. Accept that neither you nor your writing is going to be perfect, and everyone has different tastes and points of view, so be open to hearing them and then decide what you want to take and what you don’t. You are allowed to disagree after all!

Decide how important this person's opinion really is

Understand that some criticism is constructive and some is just plain rude. If the way that a review has been written is insulting and the reviewer can’t justify why he/she is saying these things then don’t get angry, just don’t let it bother you. You need to always weigh up how valuable someone’s opinion is to you. If it’s not, then it doesn’t matter in the first place.

Be brave

Don’t just have your work critiqued by loyal friends and members of your family who are too proud of you for even trying to write to say anything negative. Get out there and let strangers critique your work. It’s not fair to put the pressure on people we know to give us an unbiased view, so save your relationships and get strangers to do it. Not only will you receive more useful feedback, it will also matter less if you don’t agree with what they say.

Be grateful

If someone has taken the time to critique your work, try to be thankful. It takes concentration and effort to do so, and the more they have to say the more that perhaps they care.

Remember it happens to everyone

Even the most popular, famous and celebrated authors get negative reviews. Go on Amazon and read reviews of your favourite ever book or the most popular authors of all time. Just because someone doesn’t like your work it doesn’t mean that lots of people won’t think it’s amazing - so don’t be disheartened and keep that in mind!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Set Great Writing Goals

When it comes to your writing, setting achievable yet challenging goals will help to keep you focused, track your progress and keep you motivated when it comes to reaching your end goal.

‘That might be all well and good,’ you say. ‘But what sort of goals should I be setting for myself as a writer?’

As with many pieces of writing advice, this all depends on the individual. If you are a prolific and successful, published, full-time author, you may not think that a goal of writing 100 words a day is a worthy one.

However, if you work in a non-writing job 5 days a week, are in charge of running and maintaining a busy household, and you know this is exactly how much time you can spare for your writing, then you should be proud of yourself for setting and sticking to a goal such as this!

So the first step for any writer is to decide what kind of goals you should set, and while we cannot define them for you. The process is the same for everyone.

- Clearly, define your end goal

- Work out what you need to do to get there

- Separate work into manageable bite-size tasks

- Give yourself (realistic) deadlines

- Make a plan

- Decide how you will reward yourself each time you achieve your goal!

Before you set your goals it is important to take stock of what you are doing right now. Are you writing as much as you want to? Are you getting paid for your writing? Are you writing about the kind of topics you always dreamed you would?

If you realise you want to write be paid handsomely romantic post-apocalyptic rap poems but you're currently writing articles on how to save money on your tax bill for free, it’s time to step back and reassess what you are doing and figure out a new path!

Be disciplined

Achieving your goals is only going to work if you are willing to put the effort in. As writers, we are notoriously hard on ourselves in many ways, but we are also dreadful procrastinators. We all know that at certain times we have to face obstacles and challenges and when we do if our writing ends up suffering that’s OK. However, if we are constantly excusing ourselves from doing our work, and continuously fail to meet our goals or push back our deadlines because we simply haven’t tried hard enough, that’s when we should give ourselves a good talking to!

It is important to remember that we all let ourselves down from time to time and if you do end up missing a deadline or skipping a writing session you need to forgive yourself - the more quickly you do the sooner you can get back to dedicating your time and energy to achieving those goals.

Remember to stay positive

However far away you feel from achieving your goals, it is crucial to remain positive and keep working your way towards them. With perseverance and a positive attitude, there is no reason why you can’t get to where you want to be with your writing, and it is important to remember that and never give up on your dreams.

Remember to review your goals and adapt them if necessary.

Just because you have created some goals for yourself it doesn’t mean they are set in stone. You are in charge of your own destiny and if you want to change your goals or scrap them altogether and make new ones then you can.

Before you change your goals, however, you need to be honest with yourself about why. If you think it's because they are too hard, or you just can’t be bothered then you are not being true to yourself. Achieving your goals isn’t supposed to be easy - but the payoff is so worth it.

Setting great writing goals is all about keeping things simple, breaking tasks down, and being disciplined enough to stick to them. If you do that then there is no reason you can’t achieve everything you have set out to with your writing - just take it one step at a time and you’ll get there in the end!

What tips would you add for setting and reviewing your writing goals? Let us know!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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