Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
I am going to try something new on the blog. The idea is to set some realistic goals for the month and then check them off from this post as I go. Then, I’ll add an update at the end talking about whether the goals were completed or not.
So, that means I’ll need to schedule a priority update at the end of the month. And I was thinking about pushing it to subscribers of the blog in case someone would like to be included.
These goals are as much for me as they are to help you. Not only am I listing what I want to accomplish, but I’ll also include how I’m going to commit despite having an ultra-busy schedule.
September Writing Goals
I’m only working on five goals this month. However, these are the most prominent that I’d like to complete. It’s not a good idea to overburden yourself with goals and challenges, especially if you don’t have a lot of time available.
When you’re choosing monthly writing goals, you need to keep in mind your time allotment. Not everyone can crank out three blog posts per day while maintaining their job and/or family life.
That’s where being realistic comes into play. I’ll go over a bit more on that in a moment.
1. Publishing the Next Book
The primary goal is to publish Shadows of Atlantic City (my next book) by September 6th. I had a few things derail those efforts in August, but I’m still aiming for that particular deadline.
As I said in previous articles and videos, though, I’d rather publish something good over something rushed.
So, even if Shadows isn’t out by September 6th, it’s on the verge of being released very soon. And I’m going to put in maximum effort in September to ensure that happens.
This will be my second fiction book, but the third book I’ve published overall. It’s nice to see that I am slowly building a library of my work, and perhaps others will enjoy reading the tales as much as I enjoy writing them.
Hitting This Goal:
I would like to get back to regular writing sprints. However, I am in class on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:45 am. If I decide to do sprints on those days, I’d have to go live a bit later than normal.
Regardless of whether I go live on the YouTube channel for sprints, I plan on spending two hours per day working on Shadows. I have a few things to tidy up and a test printing of the cover.
2. Finish the First Draft of Fury
Once Shadows is completed and published, I’m turning my attention back to Kingmaker’s sequel, Fury. I am about 20,000 words or so away from finishing the first draft, and I am excited to dive back into the series.
To put that into perspective, I can write about 2200 words in a two-hour period. As long as I can schedule a two-hour block of time every day, it should take me less than a week to finish the book.
There is a lot going on in Fury, and I am worried that it may be too much. So, Fury might take a bit longer to publish if I have to rewrite or remove parts. I won’t know for sure until I get some initial feedback, though.
Even if the beta readers love it, Fury will still take a bit longer to edit and adjust. It’s simply a much bigger book with a lot more going on from different perspectives. I doubt it’ll be published before the end of the year.
Hitting This Goal:
Setting aside a two-hour block of time each day to work on the book will go a long way toward getting it finished. And if I keep my focus on what I want to accomplish each day, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to finish writing the book this month.
I’m also creating goals and deadlines in Reedsy Studio, the app I’m using to write and publish Fury. That will help me visualize how much I need to write every day.
3. Start Marketing Case Study
What does marketing have to do with writing goals? I suppose that depends on the purpose. You won’t need to worry about marketing a story you wrote for yourself. And a lot of personal bloggers don’t worry a lot about marketing aside from just sharing their thoughts and ideas.
In my case, I want to improve blog traffic, YouTube viewership, and book sales. All three of these are influenced by my writing. So, it only makes sense that I would put some effort into getting the word out a bit more.
The reason I want to turn this into a case study is so that I may be able to help other authors figure out some marketing methods that may help them sell some books as well. It’s one of the most difficult parts of being an indie author, actually.
This means diving into a lot of research for various marketing methods while recording my findings. With any luck, I can help myself as well as countless other authors all at the same time.
Hitting This Goal:
Case studies usually take a great deal of time overall. That’s because you want to collect as much viable data as you can to support or contradict claims. Nonetheless, I’ll dedicate at least an hour block each week to work on those aspects.
I’d love to dedicate more time to the cause. Unfortunately, I just don’t have it available if I want to accomplish everything else throughout the week.
4. At Least 4 New Products
I would love to have more products in my online store. One of my favorite tumblers so far is the one with the wraith on the glass, which is part of the product line I’m making for Shadows of Atlantic City.
I’m only aiming to create four new products for the month of September. I’d love to create more, but it depends on how much time I have available and whether the designs will be easy to implement.
If I can create a large enough image, I can probably put it on several products at once. But I’m trying to be realistic with my time. Although I can accomplish quite a bit in an hour, I don’t want to stress myself out too much by biting off more than I can chew.
Still, I’d love to see the wraith from my next book on all kinds of things. And Fourthwall has one of the largest collections of print-on-demand products on the Internet.
Hitting This Goal:
I’m only going to be able to dedicate an hour per week to product design and development. That’s one of the reasons why I’m only focusing on four products. I want to create some designs that people will enjoy, and you don’t get that by rushing through the process.
Before you ask, no, generative AI will never be used in my store. I’ll either create the products myself or hire a designer.
5. Getting to Bed On Time
What does going to bed on time have to do with writing? Everything, actually. Sleep influences everything from stress levels to focus and concentration. In other words, it’s probably one of the most vital elements of being a writer.
Decision making, mood, clarity of thought…all of these are affected by sleep. That’s not including a lot of physical problems from sleep deprivation.
Sure, there are some people who can probably write quite a bit while fighting the sandman. But I learned long ago that I perform far better in the mornings in terms of creativity and flow.
There are some occasions when I can write at night with a nice glass of sambuca. But for the most part, I am far more effective in the mornings after a good night’s rest.
Hitting This Goal:
This is something that I’ve been trying to do for a long time now. I have an alarm set to remind me to drink some Sleepytime Tea, read a book, and then go to bed before 10:30. I was aiming for 9:30 pm at one point, but found that I enjoy my mate’s company for a bit before actually going to bed.
Anyway, I’m going to try my best to stick with those alarms and get more sleep at night.
Remember to be Realistic
One reason why a lot of folks fail at goals and challenges is because they’re not realistic with themselves. They often set lofty goals they’d like to achieve without considering the realism of the thing.
For instance, some will set goals to write 2,000 words in a day but not have time to do so, given their typing capabilities. Or, someone will set a goal to sell 10 books in a week but not put the time in to market it properly.
This is aside from the fact that you can’t force people to buy your book. So, it’s a goal that you cannot control, along with things like making X amount of dollars from a blog or getting X number of views to a YouTube video.
When creating goals and challenges for yourself, keep in mind:
- Whether you have enough time available to accomplish said goal or challenge.
- Creating them based on what you can control.
- Your physical and mental limitations. Challenge yourself, but don’t set yourself up for failure.
- The amount of effort and dedication needed to accomplish them.
- Basing them on your previous accomplishments. You’re only in competition with yourself.
Now, you don’t want writing goals or challenges that are too easy to accomplish. But you don’t want to create one that is well beyond what you can handle. This can lead to frustration and could have a negative impact on how you view yourself as a writer.
You Are In Control
Personal goals and accomplishments will affect how you view yourself. And when created correctly, they are things you can control in your life when it doesn’t seem like you have any.
All of the goals I set for September are things I know I can handle, as long as I put in maximum effort. Sure, chaos seems to derail my efforts on a daily basis. But a lot of these things are still within my control despite the mayhem.
It all comes down to how badly you want those things. If it’s bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to make them happen. And this is coming from someone who decided to be a writer instead of working for the school district in 2012.
I made the conscious decision to go all in as a freelancer. And now I’m going all in to be an author and creator.
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