Why set a goal?
Setting goals is something my husband and I disagree on. He would rather not set a goal. He has his interests and feels that if he pursues those interests, taking things in stride, he will accomplish great things. He is an easy going guy and very good at what he does. I am the complete opposite, wanting to create direction in my own life and not just take what’s given to me. I can be a little intense, but I typically get what I want. Surprisingly, we are both fairly successful in life, so I’m not going to say that setting goals is the only way to go. I know it’s an odd argument to have, but we also disagree about keeping a positive mindset (a different topic for another day)--which I think is an even stranger thing to disagree about.
I will say this though, many research studies support the theory that goal setting is one of the most important things to help you reach your full potential as a writer and as a human being in general (especially if you find that things don’t come to you especially easily).
In Mary Kay I learned that goal setting is a lot like archery.
If you were with a group of people and someone gives you each a bow and an arrow, telling you to shoot it, arrows would end up everywhere. However, take that same group of people and place a target at the front of them and tell them to shoot--some people would miss it completely, some people would hit part of it, and some may hit right on the bull’s eye. The difference?
In the first scenario, there is no target and therefore no focus. We can be doing activity after activity (shooting arrow after arrow), but have no real direction, which takes us wherever our arrow flies. Which may or may not be great. If you have seen the movie Parasite, you know that this way of life can sometimes end in tragedy. Well, maybe that’s taking this analogy too far.
In the other scenario, we know exactly where we are aiming and even if we miss the target, we are heading in the right general direction of our goal. If we continue shooting those arrows, maybe learning and developing as we go, making adjustments as needed, we know that we will eventually come close, if not hit the bull’s eye at some point.
So how do you know what goal to shoot for?
Let’s say that you want to be a bestselling novelist, but you are just getting started with your writing career. That target for the bestsellers list is about fifty yards away. Though you may hit the target from this far, it’s a good idea to aim for something a lot closer first. Here are some ideas:
Attend a class at a college or writing conference like Storymakers to get some basic writing tips and learn how story works.
Read a certain number of novels in the genre you are interested in writing so you understand what sells in that particular market.
Sign up for writing websites like Storygrid.com or newsletters like David Farland’s Kick in the Pants.
Read writing blogs like Tara Lazar’s Writing for Kids While Raising Them
Join a critique group.
Begin writing! This, obviously, is the most important part. Remember consistency is the key. To become more consistent check out my other articles on Calendaring and Baby Steps.
I hope that your bow and arrow take you to great places. You have wonderful things to accomplish. Your writing is important and with a goal, you are so much more likely to reach your target (no matter what my husband might say).
