As an author, there are two things that could actually kill your writing, procrastination and a writer’s block. While some aspiring writers, who have huge ambitions of becoming a bestseller, seldom start off with writing, those who have written a couple of chapters face the problem of getting stuck in the middle. Both will lead you nowhere in your writing career. But, don’t worry. We are here with a solution, “ set a writing goal.

What is a Writing Goal

A writing goal is a deadline you set for yourself. It is something that helps you stay on track when you’re unsure if you would finish a chapter or meet the desired word count. It keeps you motivated and inspired till you finish writing the book and later as well.

Why You Should Have a Writing Goal

• It acts like a map, showing where your book is heading and how it is shaping up.
• Setting a writing goal allows you to plan and complete your book, without any delay.
• It’ll build confidence in you as you keep meeting your goal or a deadline.
• Setting a deadline will give you more direction than writing things randomly every day.
• It’ll make you accountable for your book.

How to Set a Writing Goal?

To set a writing goal, you will need a calendar, a notepad (or an app), and loads of determination. When you feel you experience writer’s block too often, if you’re getting distracted more than how much you should be, or are unable to finish a chapter when you intended to, set a writing goal.  Set a daily word-count goal and a weekly word-count goal to help you stay on track. Make it a point to reach the word-count every day so you could meet the count for the week. When setting a writing goal, create a tracker document to check your progress. Here, I have shared a couple of writing goals that I had set to complete my books as a sample. Check it out to get a better idea of how you can come up with your own.

When setting a writing goal, include a schedule for revising and proofreading as well. At this point, you should remember not to set unachievable goals for yourself as they would end up demotivating and discouraging you.

 What is Not a Writing Goal?

A goal like ‘getting published this year’ is not a writing goal. This goal is too broad and you can’t set action plans that would work. Rather, set specific goals that you wish to achieve. Specific goals will allow you to set effective action plans and help you achieve it. Be as specific as possible while setting a writing goal and subsequently create a tracker for it. Over the days, you would either complete the book as you intended to or realize corrective measures for not completing it.