How We Continue to Write
Writing wins can help us plan.
💫 WRITERS’ GOAL-SETTING SESSION
On Wednesday, December 13, 8-9:30PM EST, I’m leading a Zoom session to help writers develop energizing (yet realistic!) writing goals for the new year.
I’ll light the way through prompts that will help you figure out what you’d like to achieve on the page in the new year, and we’ll share our goals with one another.
This session is for any writer of any background who’s interested in writing more in 2024, and it’s FREE for paying subscribers of this newsletter.
One of my favorite things about workshopping writing is discussing what’s working well in that piece of writing. Not because it provides a nice ego boost to the writer (or at least not only because of that), but because it helps the writer narrow down what to leave alone while revising.
It helps us understand what we should keep doing.
We ought to apply the same thought process to our goal-setting practices in our writing lives. Before we start plotting out where we’d like to go, why not first ask: what’s already working here?
THINGS THAT WORKED FOR MY WRITING LIFE THIS YEAR
setting aside writing time 5x/week
journaling before I start writing (even just one page)
logging into Morning Writing Club on Zoom
setting deadlines for myself and really sticking to them
pulling a tarot card before I start writing
writing about my characters in a notebook before I start writing in a doc
working through The Artist’s Way
setting word count goals whenever I feel timid
discussing craft books with fellow writers in the Book Club for Writers
talking with writer friends about our projects
going to a conference
participating in a workshop
writing all over my gigantic dry-erase board whenever I feel stuck
Something interesting happens when I examine this list of the things that worked. I notice the things I want to keep doing, but I also notice the things that were temporary. There are things that worked for me this year that I don’t feel like I need to bring with me into 2024.
Next year, I’m going to keep logging into Morning Writing Club. I’m going to keep setting word count goals when I need them. I’m going to keep talking to my friends about the projects I’m working on.
But I’m not going to the same conference next year. I’m not setting deadlines for myself: not yet, at least. And in 2024, I’m going to be less rigid about writing 5x/week so I can watch birds and comb the beach for shells more often: the two activities that consistently yield my best ideas.
My goals for 2024 are less output-oriented and more process-oriented. And for me, it takes this kind of reflection to acknowledge that.
🌟 A TIME FOR WRITERS TO REFLECT + ENVISION
Paying subscribers of this newsletter are invited to a new year goal-setting session on Wednesday, December 13, 8-9:30PM EST live on Zoom.
Regardless of whether or not you consider yourself “a writer,” if you’d like to write more often in 2024, this session is for you.
Subscribe for the month for just $5, or save 27% and subscribe for the whole year. Annual subscribers receive access to the Book Club for Writers as well as 10% off all writing workshops.
THREE ENDORSEMENTS
1. Carpenters Christmas Portrait, my all-time favorite holiday album.
2. Adding chocolate chips to the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix.
3. For fellow Florida folks who love hunting for shells: I’ve been using this guide lately and really like it.
Hope to see you at the WRITERS’ GOAL-SETTING SESSION on Wednesday, December 13, 8-9:30PM EST! Get the Zoom link by upgrading to a paid subscription below.