‘Tis that time of year again, the time to make goals. Perhaps you’re looking for ideas as to what types of goals to set for yourself, or inspiration for ones that will sharpen your writing skills.
Well, in this post, I’m listing some goal ideas for both readers and writers. I prefer goals to “resolutions” because they’re more attainable to me. They’re something to work toward, instead of something to keep, and for me are far more likely to succeed than a resolution.
If you’re like me, read on, fellow goal setter!
For Reading:
I know a lot of people set a goal for an amount of books to read in a year (like with Goodreads challenges) and that’s great. But here are some other ideas to consider as well (and might be more achievable than an amount of books in a year).
Set a goal to try out a genre that’s out of your normal reading comfort zone. This is a great way to broaden your reading. Does one of your favorite authors have other books under a different genre? Try those out!
Set a goal to read a certain number of books in a genre. Like ten Contemporary Romance books, or five Regency books, or fifteen Christian Speculative books.
Set a goal to read Indie (Independent) published fiction. I know Indie published books can get a bad rap, but trust me, I know of some good stuff out there, and I’d be happy to recommend some of it to you. Just because some people didn’t put effort into their books doesn’t mean that all of them didn’t. If you want to support authors more directly, this is a great way to do so, and Indie publishing is taking off even more as time goes on.
Set a goal to finish a book you started… And didn’t finish. Remember that one book you got from the library but had to return before you finished it? Or that classic you picked up twice, only to leave it sitting on your shelf? Well, (unless you hated it for some reason) why not make it a goal to finish those this year?
Set a goal to finish a series. In the same vein, what about that series you started and liked, but just haven’t finished yet? Again, why not make it a goal to finish it this year?
Set goals to read specific books. Books that you’ve been wanting to read but haven’t gotten around to. Do you have a book that everyone’s been raving about and now you want to try? Set a goal to read that one. For me, that was Dust by Kara Swanson this year, as an example. What about that Classic you’ve wanted to pick up but never had the chance to? This year might be the year.
Set a goal to read more non-fiction, or certain non-fiction books. And I mean good non-fiction, not swarmy self help. Non-fiction that can edify you and help you grow, like Knowing God by J. I. Packer, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas. I would be more than happy to give recommendations in this category as well.
So, there you go, seven goal ideas for reading. But what about if you’re a writer as well? (I say as well because if you’re not a reader, how do you expect to be a writer?) If you are a writer, here are some goal ideas for you too. Remember to consider what can help you sharpen your writing skills this next year.
Set a goal to read more. Not write more, but read more. Why? Because if you’re going to write, you’ve got to fill your creative well, and reading is one of the best ways to do that. Think about this: what got you into writing in the first place? For most of us, we’d say it was because before we wrote, we read. But too often, when we start writing, reading gets pushed aside almost completely, and that’s not the way it should be. Reading reminds us of why we write and gives us ideas for us to put our own twists on.
Set a goal to study your craft. Writing is one of the best ways to learn to write, that’s true. But you have to learn about writing too, so you know what to practice as you write, and what makes a good story. Whether that’s by reading books on craft, or by studying the books you read, learn what makes a good story. What makes characters relatable, creates a stunning plot twist, or makes you want to hurl that book across the room and hold it to your chest at the same time? Some ideas and examples:
Set a goal to study how to create relatable characters.
Set a goal to study plot structure.
Set a goal to get better at grammar.
Set a goal to learn to write riveting dialogue.
Set a goal to learn how to write a solid first chapter / first pages of a novel.
Set a goal to work on showing instead of telling.
Set a goal to learn how to convey strong emotion.
Set a goal to both give and get feedback. Don’t keep all the knowledge you learn to yourself! Put it to use by asking for feedback on your work, and also by giving feedback on others' words. Iron sharpens iron, and exchanging feedback sharpens the writers who give it. And don’t just pick one side of the equation (aka, only asking for feedback), give feedback to other people too!
Set a goal to try out something new. Stretch yourself, see where you can go. Never written historical fiction before, but have a story idea you want to try out? Maybe this is the year. Never tried flash fiction? Want to see what it’s like to write a piece in second person? Whatever it is, if you want to do something new and dip your toes in, don’t be afraid to explore. Especially if you’re a new writer who hasn’t decided what genre you want to write.
Set a goal to get a consistent writing habit down. If you don’t have this yet, and you’re planning on being a professional, published writer later on down the road, you need to establish this. It is fundamental to being able to draft completed stories in a reasonable time frame, and also makes sure you get in that needed practice and put those craft skills you’re learning to good use. Down below I've linked a post by another blogger that has tips for this!
Set a goal to learn more about the publishing industry. From self publishing and cover design, to traditional publishing and agents, to article submission and writing, to marketing and blogging, there’s a lot to learn about publishing. If you want to publish one day, or just want to find out if publishing might be something you’re interested in, this year might be a good year to learn what that might entail and to choose the best path for you. Again, some ideas to get you started.
Set a goal to learn about self publishing vs. traditional publishing.
Set a goal to learn more about what blogging entails.
Set a goal to learn about email lists and why they matter.
Set a goal to learn about cover designers and reveals.
Set a goal to learn what goes into traditional publishing and contracts and querying and agents, etc..
Set a goal to learn about self publishing, KDP, formatting, blurb writing, etc..
Set a goal to learn about how to build and design a website.
Set a goal to learn about marketing.
Set a goal to make this the year it happens. What it is for you. Is it that project you’ve been working on for two years? Is it self publishing a novella? Is it finding and hiring a professional editor to look over your work? Set a goal that fits you and what you want to achieve, not just for this year, but as a writer later on.
So, there’s 7 goals for a writer. But before you go, fellow Christian writer and author, I want to remind you of something.
Whatever your goals are for yourself, don’t forget what your ultimate goal should be: writing to glorify, honor, and love God, while serving others with your stories. I’ve found it can be so easy to forget that!
And so, with that in mind, I’d like to list an extra bonus goal down here that I think Christian writers who want their writing to be fantastically true should do, not just for this next year but for all the years that they sit down to write.
Pray before you write. Even if it’s only a sentence or two. Pray for inspiration, for guidance and wisdom, for this piece of writing to serve and bless others and glorify God. Because that’s what really counts, no matter if you achieve your goals or not. Invite God into your writing, and see what He can do. Whatever you do, whether you complete your goals or not, what matters is that you keep your eyes on God.
That’s it for this post! This post is part of a group of blog posts about setting goals for writers that I'm doing with other bloggers. Be sure to check out the links below if you’re a goal setting writer like me, all of these posts have been great! Thank you for reading, and I hope you got some ideas.
Until the next post, may you be blessed,
Abby