Writing Your Goals for 2011: Make a Plan You Can Follow

The beginning of a new year is a magical time. Twelve blank calendar pages stare back at you, full of possibilities.

This moment of promise is the best time to set goals for the new year. To think about the "big picture" of where you want to be writing-wise at the end of the year. 

One of the reasons for setting goals, is to have something to shoot for. Without goals, we tend to walk in circles--busy, but not making any progress. 

Last December, I wrote out my writing goals for 2010. I used a printable form, and kept that sheet tacked by my computer all year. I tried to review my progress each month to see how I was doing. So far, I've accomplished half my goals for the year. I plan to do better in 2011.

For each of the five Mondays in January, I'll do a post on different kinds of writing goals to set, with resources for each:

Writing: setting aside time to write, and choosing goals for what to write this year.
Financial: this may be the year to set up your writing as a business; keeping track of income and expenses.
Querying: setting goals for how and when to query agents this year.
Workspace: your "office" influences how effectively and how often you write. Get it in shape to help jump start your writing.
Learning: setting goals for educating yourself on the craft of writing, whether reading books and blogs, or attending workshops and conferences.


Are you planning to set goals for 2011?