2018 will be here in just a couple short days. I'm still sitting here wondering where summer went. Looking ahead into the new year happening next week, I begin to think about my writing life in 2018. What projects will I accomplish? What goals will I set? If you're a writer or you want to get serious about writing in 2018, I can assure you that it's not going to happen on your own. You want to publish a book in 2018? Well, you're only going to get there if you work for it. But how do you create a writing plan for your new year? Well, here are some ways that I create mine: 1) Make it a realistic plan. Don't say, "In four months I want to publish a book," if you haven't even started writing a book because that timeline is probably not going to happen. By giving yourself small timelines to work on big projects you'll feel more stressed which could limit you from actually moving forward with your goal. Keep your plan realistic with realistic timelines and ideas. 2) Break it down into steps. Having a plan in mind of what you want to do or where you want to be in a year is a great thing. But having a plan and following a plan are two different things. Break your plan/goal into baby steps. These are things that you can do today or this week or this month to get closer to your goal. Don't overwhelm yourself. Keep these short and simple. 3) Actually do one of the steps today or this week. Yes, it's easy to create a plan and write out the steps you need to take, but sometimes it's harder to actually do the work of those steps. So make sure you actually put it into action and start stepping forward! 4) Remember that great adventures don't always go exactly how you planned. We can set our goals and make our plans and work towards those plans, but that doesn't always mean it's going to go exactly as we think it should. God has a bigger plan and His plan is so much greater than our own. He has a great adventure He's wanting you to walk with Him, and it's not always going to look how you think it should. And that's okay. It's still a great adventure. And He is still God. He knows what He's doing. What are some writing goals that you have for the new year? Share in the comments below! Happy New Year 2018! When I was a little girl and I began writing, I never worried about anything except writing. I never worried about people liking or not liking my words. I never worried about getting published or letting people read what I wrote. I was just focused on writing down the words and stories I felt God was giving to me. I was focused on keeping Christ at the center of my writing, because after all, He gave me the gift to begin with. But as I grew older and began to develop my writing platform, I quickly understood how much more difficult it could be to keep Christ at the center of my writing when I was also managing a growing platform. The honest truth is that just sometimes in between the compliments (and even the criticism), the blog statistics, writing classes, and writing assignments, I can lose my focus. Lose my focus on what really matters. Because the truth is that the numbers really don't matter. The number of people reading your blog or loving your writing posts on Facebook, does. Not. Matter. Jesus is the only thing that matters. If He has given you the gift of writing, then He has specific people He wants you to reach with that gift. Maybe it's only one person. But trust me, that is enough. Our purpose is to always keep our eyes on Him. But how do we do that? How do we focus on Him when other things are pulling on us? Well, here are my thoughts. Keep your time with Jesus first. Although writing is a calling and a gift, it can't take the place of Jesus in your life. Put your quiet time with Him first. Make sure you're constantly checking your heart and praying for humility in the spotlight. Get a mentor. Christian writing mentors can be vital for several reasons, such as helping you develop your craft or proofread your writing, but the most important reason is to help you keep your focus in the right place. If you have a Christian writing mentor she/he can point out areas where you may be focusing more on numbers than on glorifying Jesus. Don't look at your blog statistics every day. Sometimes I can get into the habit of checking my blog stats every single day, but in doing this I'm focusing more on my numbers than on the wonderful amazing readers that God is blessing me with. If checking your blog stats distracts you from your focus on Jesus, delete the app from your phone or stop checking on your laptop. Write for Jesus. That's all that matters in the end. Recently I asked on Instagram if any writers had questions or things they wanted to read about in regards to the craft of writing. One of the topics requested was about growing your blog, so in this post I am compiling a few tips I have on creating a thriving blog. Let's go. 1) Stay consistent. I know I talk about consistency a lot, but trust me, it is so important. Developing a consistent blog schedule makes your followers feel secure and helps them to trust you. After creating a consistent blog schedule, I have seen a drastic jump in my blog followers and views. 2) Write on relevant topics to your target audience. So the first step in this would be figuring out who your target audience is. For example, this section of my blog is dedicated specifically to writers. So I wouldn't post an article on the art of photography because that's not relevant to my audience. If your audience is teenagers, write about topics that are relevant to them. 3) Network with other bloggers. If you're on social media, connect with other writers/bloggers who are doing the same thing you want to do or who are writing about the same things you want to write about. There is power in community. Offer to guest post on each other's blogs, which will spread your writing to other audiences. Cheer each other on when you reach certain blogging goals or spread their blog links to your friends. Support each other. 4) Don't focus on numbers. The truth is that when you focus on your numbers and you check your blog statistics every day, you're going to lose your focus. You're not writing your blog to have 10,000 page views a month. You're writing your blog to glory Christ and because He has called you to write. Plus you love writing. If you're doing it for any other reason, you're going to take the joy out of it. Keep the right focus and write for the right reasons. Happy blogging! Happy December 1st, dear readers. With the dawning of a brand new month comes the close of another and the finish line of NaNoWriMo. This was the very first year that I ever attempted something as big as NaNoWriMo and I'm pretty when I signed up for it that I wasn't considering all my other responsibilities. It was definitely an incredible experience that I would love to try again next year. And although I started well, I ended NaNoWriMo with 25,432 words instead of the goal of 50,000. So I failed. Right? Wrong. Yes, I came short of reaching my goal. But I made it halfway. I tried. And that, my dear readers, is what counts. Whether you came short of the 50,000 word NaNo goal, or you missed a deadline for your blog, or whatever writing goal you may have missed, I want you to always remember this: Failing to complete a writing goal does not make you a failure and it certainly does not make you any less of a writer. You may give it your very best shot and still come short, and you know what? That's okay. The point is that you tried. As long as you tried and you gave your goals your best shot, you are being successful. As a writer, there are times when you most certainly will not meet the goals you have set for yourself. Don't let these times discourage you. Don't let them keep you from pushing forward or making new goals. When you don't reach your writing goal, choose instead to do better next time. Maybe next year in NaNo I still won't make 50,000. But maybe I'll make 30,000 and I'll be doing better than this year. So keep going. You can set those goals and achieve them someday. I know you can. And if you didn't reach your NaNo goal either? There's always next year. |
About this page:
This page of my blog is dedicated specifically to writers. I've been writing for over half of my life. I live and breathe writing. Because of that, I'm passionate about helping other writers grow, develop, and succeed. This section of my blog will include blog posts dedicated to writing, encouragement, and resources. Feel free to read through some posts and my contact form is always open if you ever have any questions or need encouragement! ♥ Archives
April 2018
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