While we're traveling to the Bowl game in Texas this week, I still try to keep up with my writer's group. And wouldn't you know this week they are extremely active. Fi, one of the members, has been challenging the rest to make some writing goals for 2012. The one thing she's emphasized is that we should write them, then print and post somewhere that we'll have to see them every day. It's far too easy to forget about our good intentions if we write them and then file away somewhere.
Writing the goals is the easy part. Staring that list in the face every day is going to be the tough task. If one of your goals is to revise and edit a novel you wrote five years ago, and you see it on that list every day, it can do wonders to spur you on. It could also begin to be like a nagging wife. It's going to start making you squirm whenever you look at it. I can see the aggravation building day by day until there are only two solutions.
You can tear the list into pieces and toss it in the wastebasket. Or you can pull out the old manuscript and start working on it a little bit each day. It's a no-brainer as to which is the best solution.
I haven't written my goals for this year yet. I'm working on it mentally. I decided I'd like to take a little time for this. I don't want to dash off a list that isn't going to help me grow as a writer. I want to set goals that I'm capable of achieving but also ones that will take me out of my comfort zone.
How about coming on this journey with me? Make a list of your goals for this year, print it, then put it where you will see it every day. As you achieve one, put a big check mark next to it. Or a smiley face. Seeing progress can be nothing but encouraging. Someone said to reach for the moon, and even if you don't make it, you'll still be among the stars. I saw that somewhere recently but can't give credit to who said it. Whoever it was has the right attitude.
If you don't want to commit to a full year's worth of goals, try doing two months first and see how it goes.
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