Writing Goals for 2024 – that aren’t basic

Next year, I want to look at my writing differently. I don’t want to do what I’ve tried to do years before which hasn’t quite worked.

I don’t want to set the same boring goals:

Write 100,000 wordsWrite two completed first drafts of novelsLook for an agentPublish a book Query a book

These are too basic and often some of these things are out of our hands. You could probably reach the word count and maybe complete drafts but whether they are good or not; you’re happy with them or not, isn’t really up to you. You just write it as best you can and still, it may not land right. It might not be the right novel to be a book.

Does that make it less worthy? No! Having written a novel, no matter its length or shape or genre or style, is amazing and an achievement in itself. That’s a huge thing to remember for the coming year.

Here are some other ideas for writing goals next year that are better and could take you further than the ones we usually set:

Read more widely Take myself out on creative dates – book shop, coffee shop with notebook, museum, library, art gallery, pretty park walk Analyse the films and tv shows I watch for what works and what doesn’t and what I liked Join a writing group Meet up with writing friends every other month Read in new genres Write short stories and novellas Work on multiple projects to not lose interest in one Write at a slower pace with a longer or no deadline Write online for fun New job that supports my writing career – less work stress, more time off to write etc Healthy habits that support my writing journey Write random character profiles and idea dumps for pictures on Pinterest Start tracking the story’s emotional beats, character progression, number of laughs, cries, triumphs – not words Write fan fictionShare my writing with people I love and trust more often Write about something important or painful Write a character I usually wouldn’t write Careful with my language around my writing = Call it writing practice, call myself a novelist not a writer or an author, call it a story or novel or project not a book Journal as if I am my characters Write back story scenes for fun that will never enter the actual novel Print off my stories to have a collection Create playlists for my stories Create Pinterest boards for characters and stories and settings Aim to write when the feeling hits, not force it Write small amounts and have that be enough

Ask yourself: “what does success look like for me in my writing this year?”

Another thing to consider is asking yourself what you don’t want from your writing experience this year. This is what some call an anti-vision; listing what you don’t want to see manifest for your life right now. Sometimes defining what you want can be hard but knowing what you don’t want can be just as helpful.

What’s on my anti-vision list:

Writing from a place of desperation Feeling like not actively working on a novel means I’m a failure or not a writer anymore Not letting ideas build naturally, instead forcing them Thinking about every story as a book (a product to be sold) for it to be validComparing myself to other creators Thinking I’m too stupid or boring to write something worthy Thinking I’m never going to make it just because a story isn’t “the one” or publishable

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to our goals for the new year and the last piece of advice I would give you is to think about your writing goals are inextricably linked to your life goals in other areas. Because they will influence and affect one another. If you are succeeding with your health goals, you’re more likely to succeed with your writing goals, for example.

Get clear on what you want your 2024 writing experience as a whole to be, and you will have a better more intentional approach to your writing.

Good luck and happy writing next year.

Sincerely,

S. xx