What does it take to be a writer?
A writer must complete many different types of projects in order to complete their work. There’s outlining, drafting, revising, just to name a few big ones! Writers need to be able to do it all.
So we writers learn to brainstorm. We learn to use writing programs that help organize our work. We learn about the 3 act plot structure.
What if I told you there are two strategies that can increase both the quality and the quantity of work.
Goals
I’d argue that the most important habit for a writer is the practice of having and setting goals.
Regardless of if you’re a writer or not, setting goals is the number one way to purposefully move in the direction you want to go.
Want to learn to grill? Set a goal. Plan to make hot dogs for your friends this Saturday and figure it out.
Want to clean your house? Set a goal. Fill ten bags of things to get rid of and wash all the windows.
Want to learn to change a tire? Set a goal. Watch some online tutorials and make a list of what you’ll need.
Want to quit being so grumpy in the mornings? (This one is for me!) Set a goal. Start the morning off with prayer, a reminder to “choose joy,” and (of course!) some coffee.
What does it look like if we want these things but don’t set a goal? It looks like vague thoughts. Dreams which won’t lead to much.
A goal is what turns a wish into a plan.
Goals inspire change. Plans spur us to action. They guide us in the directions we want to be moving in. They encourage us to be intentional in how we spend our time and energy.
It’s one thing to wish to write a book.
It’s another to have a goal to write a book.
See the difference? There is a measure of determination and dedication in the second statement. This is what leads to things actually getting done.
Maybe you journal and you write your goals down once a week. Maybe you jot them down on your calendar when you think of them. Maybe you put them on your phone. Whatever works for you is what is best!
The point is to know what you want and make a commitment to be moving toward it.
Now there are lots of different types of goals.
For example:
Long term goal: I want to write a book.
Midterm goal: By the end of the month I want to finish my first draft.
Short term goal: Today I want to finish my draft of this chapter.
There are these types of goals and then there is everything in between! For more on setting good goals that increase productivity, check out SMART Goals for Smart Writers.
There’s a lot more to talk about with goals (and trust me, I could talk about goals all day long) but let’s take a moment to look at a different but related topic: Grace.
Grace
Goals and Grace. They go together, or should anyway. (And not just because of the alliteration.)
Usually when we think of goals we think of success. His target was to be a self published author and now he’s making thousands of dollars a year. We measure things by accomplishments. Getting things done.
But how many goals don’t get completed?
Do you have any goals you have abandoned? Let’s try using a different word: Resolution.
New Year’s resolutions are famous for failing. They are the butt of jokes and known for being dropped by the end of January.
Let’s be honest here: We don’t always complete what we want to. We don’t always follow through even when we say we will.
And when we fail once it’s easy to stop trying.
To say it wasn’t a great idea in the first place. That we didn’t really want to lose that ten pounds. We didn’t really need to save up to go on that trip to Alaska. That writing that book wasn’t really something we cared about. It isn’t a big deal.
But we do care.
And it is a big deal.
When we give up after failing, we’re not going to get much done.
And when we give up after failing, the easier it is to give up again next time. The easier it gets to just not even try.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to not even try.
Story time: My nine month old recently learned to crawl. But she didn’t figure it out all in one go. No, it’s been weeks of her wedging herself in corners and under chairs because she couldn’t quite figure out how to turn herself around yet. That didn’t stop her though. She kept moving, kept trying.
And now she’s crawling, unstoppable, and constantly underfoot.
The point is we can’t give up when it’s hard.
If we want to do big things, we’re going to mess up. We’re probably going to feel foolish. We might even get laughed at.
But if we want to reach our dreams we need to keep moving toward them. We need to allow ourselves to fall, even expect ourselves to fall, so that we can extend grace to ourselves and get back up to try again.
This is what grace is. To extend forgiveness in the midst of failure.
Grace makes failure something we don’t have to be afraid of. Sure, failure is never fun. But it doesn’t need to be a huge deal. It’s not the end of things.
Grace means we aren’t defined by our failures.
Grace means we can try again.
Let’s be patient with ourselves.
Let’s love ourselves.
Let’s learn from our mistakes and offer to help others.
Let’s work like crazy, be resilient, and keep going.
Let’s celebrate trying again and accept failure as proof we’re willing to try.
Let’s never let it be said that we didn’t try.
What about you? Do you tend to need more goals or more grace in your life?
Happy writing to you today!