Dear Goal Writer

Dear Goal Writer,

Many writers I know set goals for themselves and are constantly disappointed when they don’t meet those goals. They even beat themselves down for not coming near their goals.

It’s true that we are our own worst critics, and that we push ourselves more than anyone else. Sometimes this can be good as it’s a form of determination. Other times it’s not. When you’re knocking yourself down for not coming close to a goal, instead of seeing the things you did accomplish and congratulating yourself for them, then it’s a form of self-deprecation.

If you set goals for yourself but struggle to meet them, try this:

1. Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals.

Setting monthly goals can help us reach our yearly goal.

Setting weekly goals can help us get to that monthly goal.

And setting daily goals can help us complete our weekly goal.

Example: Say you want to finish the first draft of a book in a year. A monthly goal could be to write two chapters in your WIP (24 chapters is pretty good for a novel). The weekly goal could be to write ten pages. And a daily goal could be 1,000 words.

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2. Set smaller goals.

I tell writers all the time to set goals that are more attainable. Big goals can be overwhelming. Smaller goals are easily achieved and are stepping stones to those bigger goals. Just look at the examples above on how to break down a bigger goal.

If you notice you can easily complete a small goal (such us tweeting a poem a day) then make only small goals.

Example: If you want to get an agent. Set a goal of sending out 2-3 queries a week. That’s a small goal and a step to getting an agent.

3. Don’t set ANY goals.

Some people do far better, and can accomplish a lot more, without any goals. A goal can paralyze some people and force them into procrastination. If you have a dream in mind, you’ll automatically have goals and can work toward them without setting them in stone. Sometimes setting them in stone, having them weigh on you, seeing them on a post-it next to your computer every day, can have the opposite intended result. So why not see how you do without any goals dragging you down?

QUESTIONS: Do you struggle to meet goals? If you don't, do you have tips that help you for those who do struggle?

BONUS: I have a Halloween giveaway going on now! :D

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Have a writing-related question? Leave a comment and I may turn it into a post right here!

See Also:

Dear Withdrawn Writer

Dear Time-Strapped Writer

Dear Un-inspired Writer

Dear Blocked Writer

Dear Degree-less Writer

Dear Young Writer

Dear Aspiring Author

Dear Confused Facebook Author

Dear Scrambling Writer
Dear Writer Not Writing

Dear Distracted Writer
Dear PMSing Writer

Author of Hurricane Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.

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Mid-summer Motivation for Monday

It's so easy to make excuses or allow little dark clouds to hang over our heads, but we don't have to let any of it stop us in our tracks.

The following three items are my notes from a class I attended way back in 2010. It wasn't about writing, but at the time I equated EVERYTHING I heard to what it meant for me as a writer.

1. Did you know that 2/3 of our thoughts during the day are negative. (The speaker said it has been scientifically proven, but I don't have a reference for that, so believe it or not as you see fit.) Why is that? (We discussed...) Then he said, "Negative thoughts are like a hole in our confidence bucket."

How many times do we knock ourselves down with negative thoughts or comments about our writing abilities? Each thought depletes our confidence by another drop. Every time we give ourselves credit for trying to improve, spend time revising, recognize a sentence that comes out just right, we begin to refill that confidence bucket.

2. "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." Albert Schweitzer.  

When he read this quote, I thought of all my blogger friends. Thank you for sharing your spark with me. Many times when I've been down I've read someone's blog and felt lifted and ready to plug along my journey a little longer. 

So, THANK YOU for sharing and being you. No one can replace or fill the spot you fill in this world.

3.  "If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing, you're right." Henry Ford.

Wow, think about how true that is.

He also quoted Yoda from the Empire Strikes Back. At one point in Luke's training he tried to raise his X-wing from the swamp and failed. Yoda then lifts it and sets it on solid ground with ease. Luke complains that it is impossible and Yoda replies, "That is why you failed."


Now, I'm not going to point out the obvious connection between these three things and our goals as writers. I simply want you to think about how they apply to you personally.

Are you depleting your confidence with negative thinking? 

Are you failing to reach your goals because you secretly think it is impossible?

What are you going to do to get back on track?

Some Exciting News

Marcy asked me to share my good news with you today. I'm excited to announce that this week I signed a contract with WiDo Publishing for my first novel Sendek: The Magic Wakes. It will come out in their 2013 line-up!

The dream has been years in the making and I almost decided it wouldn't happen. Perhaps you have reached the same point in your writing career? You love it but are losing hope that you will ever see your name on a book cover unless you self-publish.

Don't Give Up!

Dig deep and ask yourself what your dream really is. When I looked in my heart I realized that more than anything I just wanted to share my story with the world. It's not about fame or fortune. For me it's about providing entertainment, escape from our every day lives, and just bringing a smile to someone who needs a break from reality.

But I didn't want to do it on my own. That thought paralyzed me. 

So, I started researching smaller publishers until I found a few that I felt good about. I actually received two offers! In the end I chose WiDo because I already knew a couple of authors that have published with them and they only had good things to say about them.

After signing the contract I waited to feel let down for giving up the agent and Big 6 dream. But you know what? It never came. In fact, I've grown more and more excited each day. This really IS the right choice for me.

That's what I want you to find out for you. What will be the best choice for you and your story? It will be slightly different for all of us, so don't be afraid. Don't compare your journey with someone else. Find your path and enjoy every step!

What am I the most excited about? 

• Having a team of people help me make Sendek the best story it can be and help me spread the word about it. 
• People will finally get to read the whole story. I hope they like it as much as I do.
• I'm going to get to hold MY book in my hands with MY name on it!
• I can't wait to see the cover for it.

While I'm waiting to start the editing process, I'm working on a website and a facebook page to share information as I receive it.

What kind of things you like to see on these types of media? Please share in the comments so I can make it as user friendly as possible.

Oh, and please go vote in my science vs. magic poll on the facebook page. Pretty please? 

The Story-Worthy Problem

For those of you who follow my personal blog--sorry that I'm double posting the same thing today. Please forgive me, but my brain is slow on ideas this week, and this was a good one. ;)

I've been reading this book...

Find on Goodreads

I highly recommend it. One of the things that really hit me this first read through is the story worthy problem. In the past I thought about conflict, tension, the problems that come up, etc, but I never thought about the one deep seeded problem that drives the whole story. It's there in Sendek, but I never named it. And never naming it explains why I still feel like something is missing or not quite working. Let's take a closer look. Story-worthy problem vs surface problems.

A story-worthy problem always relates more to the inner psychology of the protagonist and has to be big enough, dramatic enough, to change the protagonist's world and force him on a journey of change. Surface problems, on the other hand, are more like bad situations that reflect the actual story-worthy problem, but that aren't sufficient on their own to sustain and entire story. ~Les Edgerton, Chapter 3.

In another spot in the book it mentions how the protagonists thinks they know what the main problem is, but they are almost always wrong--just missing the real thing. Their journey leads them and the reader to the story-worthy problem. Using those two things, let me give you an example from Sendek. Talia thinks her problem is that she's going to die a horrible death at the hands of the Draguman if she can't convince someone they exist, are coming, and the people of Sendek need to prepare to fight. That is a great bit of conflict. It builds tension throughout the story, but in the end it isn't the story-worthy problem. The deeper psychological issue is that when Talia's family died, she stopped living. Her real problem is learning to live again by letting others into her life. Being willing to hurt again in order to feel love.

But she doesn't recognize that until the very end. In the meantime there are lots of surface problems that move her closer to realizing that story-worthy problem. Her reaction to each surface problem has an effect on whether she is a success or a failure at the story-worthy problem.

Every problem--story-worthy and surface--has its own corresponding resolution or goal, so the resolution of a surface problem shouldn't also be the resolution to the story-worthy problem. Instead, the resolution of the surface problem should contribute to the resolution of the story-worthy problem. ~Les Edgerton, Chapter 3.

Maybe this is all old news to you guys, but this is going to make my current and future WIPs 100 times better. In knowing the difference between the problems I can plan/plot/outline better and keep the end goal straight in my head. Each surface problem can be crafted to better define and guide my character to reaching the ultimate goal. Finally, Edgerton talks about digging deep to find this story-worthy goal. Deep into our own selves. Let loose your own personal demons and you will find the stuff of greatness. If you are emotional about the problem, it will come through your writing.

That means you have to let yourself out of the box.

Help Us, Help You

You have your goals.
You have a tool box.
And you have us.
The four women of Unicorn Bell.
Now it's time for you to help us help you.

I just love that clip!

There are over 100 of you out there following us.
What do you need/want/hope to see on this blog that will help you reach your goals this year?

Welcome to 2012!

It's a new year, full of possibilities. Do you make resolutions? Or do you just set goals that you can re-evaluate over the course of the year?

Whatever you do, isn't it wonderful to know that this year is full of blank pages waiting for you to fill it with words and experiences?

All of us at Unicorn Bell are grateful for our followers. Especially those of you who have been brave enough to share your writing and/or comment on other's writing. Without you, this would be a failed project. 2011 was a great start to reaching our goals on this blog and in our personal writing careers. 

This week, I want to dedicate some time to setting goals. Have you heard of SMART goals?

S--Specific
M--Measurable
A--Actionable--meaning you can actually do something to achieve it.
R--Realistic
T--Time bound--long or short, you have to set some deadlines

So, Getting Published in 2012 may not be a SMART goal unless you plan to self-publish because there are elements you can not control.

My main goal for 2012 is as follows:
Learn to enjoy my writing time again. AKA remember why I started writing in the first place. 

This isn't the best SMART goal example because its sort of vague, but this is what I've lost and I want to get it back. So, here we go.

Specific--Enjoy my writing time.
Measure by how my emotional state improves. Also measured in the time I am allotting myself each day. My dedicated writing time will be from 12:30-2:30 every weekday. During this time I will turn off the phone, the internet, and set myself down to write. I will write whatever I feel like writing on that day. Meaning for the first time ever I'm allowing myself to work on multiple projects at once.
Actionable--I can sit and do this. My family will know when my "work" time is and get used to the fact that I am not to be bothered during that time. I will spend the entire morning doing things with my son (who is still at home) so he doesn't feel neglected in any way. He is old enough to understand work time.
Realistic--Two hours a day is a good chunk of time, but not so much that my home life will suffer. Most of the kids are at school, hubby is working, and as mentioned above the last child will get his time first.
Time bound--Eight months and then I can re-evaluate. At that time the last kid will start school *yay*.

What is/are your main writing goals for this year?