Stop Making Writing Goals Without A Writing System

Sure it’s easy to say that your goal is to write a book in x many days, but without a writing system to back that up — well you might as well put a big red X through that goal.

Writing a novel without a writing system is the same as saying you’re going to build a rocket without a blueprint.

Sure it’s not impossible — but it’s not likely it’s going to get anywhere off the ground let alone land yourself on the moon.

Without a writing system, you’ll face two significant downfalls in your writing.

• Lack of Consistency

Sure you may write every day that first week, but then that second week comes around and your writing gets a little more sporadic until it’s halfway through the third week and you realize you haven’t even looked at your novel once.

• Becoming Overwhelmed

Writing goals can easily overwhelm you if don’t have a system to complete them. Suddenly deadlines are flying at you faster than a seagull going after an unattended french fry and your brain decides to forget how to write and you end up sitting at your computer desk for hours just watching the blinking cursor on that empty document.

If you add a writing system to your writing goals you’ll have the benefits of:

• Consistent Progress

Having a writing system in place that tells you where and when to write and that you stick with CONSISTENTLY will give you a measurable amount of progress that makes your writing goals easier to track and tackle than just writing whenever you have the urge. (Spoiler: You may never have the urge and you will have days when you need to drag yourself to your computer)

If you know that Monday-Friday between the hours of 6 pm-9 pm you’re supposed to be at your desk and working on your novel and you show up every single one of those days, then you are bound to make progress in your novel.

• Improved Productivity

With a writing system in place, you’ll be able to manage your time more efficiently. If you know your butt has to be in the chair at your computer at 6 pm on the dot then you aren’t going to be deciding to fold the laundry or watch the most recent episode of that TV show that will still be there when writing time is over (plus you can use it to motivate yourself to write i.e if I write 1000 words I can watch that show tonight)

So How Do You Create A Writing System?

• Set Clear Objectives

What is your goal? What is it that you want to accomplish? This can be anything from short to long-term goals. Writing your novel, submitting it to an agent, or even your plan to self-publish your novel. It’s best to have a clear end goal in mind when making your writing system so you can manage your expectations and move on to the next step.

• Break this Goal Into Tasks

Sure writing a novel is a task in itself, but it’s better to break down your overall goal into smaller, more easily manageable tasks to keep you from getting overwhelmed by only looking at the big picture.

You can break down writing a novel into more manageable tasks: Brainstorming, Outlining, Fast Drafting, and Editing. These tasks should be specific, measurable, and relatively time-bound to keep your novel moving along at a reasonable pace.

• Establish a Routine

Pick a day, or even better several days in the week where you can dedicate a consistent amount of time solely to writing. You should establish where you’re going to write and when you’re going to write on these days and make it a priority. Even if it’s just for a short time every day, this time will add up as long as you stick to the task at hand and complete it without skipping around to the next step.

This writing time should be free from other obligations and any distractions that may keep you from writing.

• Track Your Progress

What fun is progress if you don’t have a way of proving you’re making it? Remember in elementary school when the teacher would put stickers next to your name whenever you completed your class task for the day? Didn’t it feel good to see the stars or smiley faces or little hearts grow as the week went on?

There is nothing saying you can’t make your own little task chart with a piece of paper and some stickers from your local store to keep track of your progress.

I have a dry-erase board hung on the wall behind my desk that keeps my goals in front of me daily so I always know what task I am sitting down to achieve when it’s time for me to get to writing… plus crossing them out is always a motivating part of my day.

• Stay Accountable

Sure you may not have a boss breathing down your neck asking for updates on your writing or asking how far along you are in that chapter you’ve been writing for the past three weeks, but that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be held accountable for slacking in your tasks.

Reward yourself for progress

Chastise yourself for lack of it.

Now I don’t mean to be harsh with yourself if you fall behind schedule in completing your task, it’s okay if you do. Things happen, life happens, and even the best of us fall behind, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try all the harder to get yourself back on track or as close to it as you reasonably can and see that you make your self-set deadlines.

Share your goals and tasks with a partner, writing or otherwise so that you also have someone else holding you accountable so you don’t just shrug off your writing for a week just because you feel like it.

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Having a writing system is going to set you up for all kinds of success when it comes to completing your writing goals.

It’s pretty much writing yourself out a map to get you from that very first splashing of a novel idea in your head all that way to that finished book you can hold in your hand and display proudly on your shelf to tell all your friends and family about when they come over to your place.

Or you can keep it to yourself, tucked away in a place only you can see.

It’s your story, only you can write it and only you can decide if you are going to share it with the world, but I hope you do.

I can’t wait to read it.

Now get to making your writing system.

With love,

B. King xo xo

Want to write with me live? I'm now on Twitch! Come join me in some writing sprints every Wed-Thurs-Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm EST

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