5 Questions to Ask When Reassessing Your Writing Goals

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There’s a point in your writing project or overall dreams where you have to take a beat. Months, maybe years have passed without you reassessing if it’s still what you really want.

Just because you completed a manuscript doesn’t mean you want to continue with finding a literary agent. Maybe you’ve written half a book and have been circling in the middle for far too long, but feel you have to complete it because you’ve already written so much. Or you might have had this goal of submitting your work to more contests and publications, but sent nothing.

It’s easy to get excited about your dreams, but the “hard work” is looking at what is and isn’t working. Here are 5 questions to ask when reassessing your writing goals, so you can create a new plan with clarity.

1. What Have You Accomplished in the Last 6 Months?

While we largely judge dreams by years, a lot of our lives happen in the in-between. So with your writing, what have you accomplished in the last six months? 

• How many pages have you written? 

• Did you hire a coach to help you with your book? 

• Was your work published by a blog or publication you love? 

• Did you finally launch your author website or start a newsletter?

• Have you kept a steady writing schedule?

Everything you do that’s tied to your writing goals is an accomplishment. It may not look big to anyone else, but you were the one in the trenches. You know how far you’ve come, so write it down and celebrate it.

2. What Did You Think You’d Accomplish in the Last 6 Months?

Ever feel you’ve written down the same goals every year with no momentum towards actually achieving them? Well, the truth is it’s not your goals — it’s you.

Did you know that there are only 168 hours in a week? Factor in a 40 hour work week and 8 hours of sleep a night, you’re down to 88 hours. That may seem like a lot now, but add in meals, exercise, family obligations, community work and friends, it doesn’t leave a lot of time for much else.

Our weeks are eaten up by things we don’t even consider, like spending an hour watching a show instead of working on a passion project.

Yes, you need time off, but for the most part, the space to accomplish one big goal is possible. But as soon as you say yes to being on that committee, writing that newsletter for your church or opt for drinks and dinner out most nights, it’s just less time to spend on your goals. 

It’s not about not doing anything outside of your writing, but it is about being realistic about how you’re spending your time. If you have a full social and work calendar, is it realistic to think you can write every morning at 5am? So, when you look back at the last 6 months and aren’t as happy about your progress, look at the little things that were gobbling up your time.

3. If You Could Do One Thing in the Next 6 Months, What Would It Be?

Part of the reason you can get behind on your goals is because you have too many dreams. You can see too far ahead, so you’re not thinking about the next step, but you’re working on something 7 steps away, leaving you with no real movement.

Focusing on one thing allows you the space to create, but also gives you boundaries for what you’re creating.

4. How Are You Going to Accomplish that One Thing?

Something has to give, so what are you willing to give up to get this one goal completed? There will always be things that come up throwing you off course, so keep that in mind when you look at what you’re going to cut back on or add to your routine.

Are you saying no to out of town trips or commitments for the next six months? Will you schedule an hour to write five mornings a week? Or are you setting a weekly word count? 

5. What’s a Goal You Can Let Go of for the Next Year?

You might have had a dream of completing a manuscript and selling it to a publisher within the next year, but with a full-time job and freelance work, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time. 

That’s okay. 

Pushing through to accomplish a goal just to say you did it isn’t always the most beneficial. Your circumstances or dreams may have changed — it happens. 

So when you think of a goal you can let go of, ask yourself if it’s something you really want or something you’ve told yourself you want for so long you don’t know anymore. Give yourself the gift of letting some goals go. You can always bring them back when the time is right.

Regularly reassessing your writing goals is essential. You’re not the person you were six months ago, so why would your writing practice be the same? Whenever you feel lost or unsure about the work you’ve done so far, it’s probably time to look at what you’ve been doing and see if it’s still working for you. If it’s not, these five questions will help you figure out your best next step.

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