Intentionality

I know we all posted about our writer goals like two weeks ago but better late than never–hey, if you’ve never said that in regards to YOUR resolutions, you are lying. Brain. Injury. (My go-to excuse for EVERYTHING now. Yes, it’s been thirteen weeks today, why do you ask? Sigh.)

I actually don’t do resolutions at all. I do a word of the year and I do small goals that I test over a smaller time period (a month, usually) and adapt from there. Pro tip: it’s WAY easier to do this than to suddenly alter your behavior for an entire year.

My goals for January are to read 3 hours a week and write 3k a week. One week or so in and I am NAILING IT. Not to brag or anything. For me, those are both fairly low-bar goals. I’m working myself back in to steady writing so I wanted something flexible–3k could be hard one week and easy the next, depending on what else I’m doing and how I feel, right now. And honestly, the reading goal is arbitrary (and low) just to make sure that on a regular basis I am prioritizing taking the time to sit down with a book.

Generally speaking, I want to finish GIRL, REALIZED by the beginning of February and also finish drafting a historical I’d begun last year. Anything else is gravy, and part two of this plan is flexible based on what happens with part one.

Now on to the main part of the post: intentionality. It’s my word of the year and it’s applicable to all parts of my life, but especially writing.

What do I want to write? Why? How do I want to write it? I can be *intentional* about all of my choices. I know a lot of pantsers are probably screaming at the idea of this, but I have found that whatever my original plot outline tends to be, the first ideas aren’t the ones that resonate. And that, to me, is intentionality. Not taking things at face value. I have this plot and it’s coherent, but is it The Best it can be right now? Am I sure?

That’s not to say you should second-guess everything (cue the edit loop nightmare) but that check-ins and self-reflection absolutely have a place in the creative process–even (especially?) if you’re a pantser. Am I writing this because I think it will sell or because I want to (or, ideally, both)? Do I even like dystopians? Am I taking the easy way out using a plot formula or dusty old trope without updating it? What am I saying? Is it what I want to be saying? These are all questions all writers should ask themselves. (Okay, maybe not if you like dystopians, but the genre you’re writing. ;))

I also find that intentionality is a good way around writer’s block and also creative anxiety. It gives you a focus and bite-size problems. Make a list of questions related to your work, and go through answering them. And the sense of doing what you can, on purpose, is peace-inducing in a way that flailing, well, isn’t.

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