If you’re an author or want to become one, now is a really great time to set some author-related goals so that you will move closer to, rather than farther away, from your author-based dreams. Here are some suggestions.
Example Resolutions for Authors
Becoming an author doesn’t happen overnight, it takes dedication and hard work. Below are some suggestions that will help you increase your productivity, and hone your writing skills so that you will become a better writer, and eventually a better author.
Set a daily, weekly, or monthly writing goal.
Choose which frequency works best for your current situation. The point here is not so much the goal but building the habit of writing regularly. Only by writing consistently can you finish a book and become a better writer.
Set a monthly reading goal.
Writers are readers. To improve your writing you want to read both books within your genre so that you can keep your finger on its pulse, but also outside your genre so that you can grow and stretch as a writer. Do you typically read romance? Try reading a science fiction novel. Do you typically read nonfiction? Read some fiction. And, in addition to all that, read about writing, publishing, and marketing books so you can get better at that, as well.
Make quarterly resolutions to do something new.
Let yourself be a bad writer.
I don’t know about you, but often the first, second, and even tenth draft of a book I write is just plain awful. However, if you let that first, terrible draft stop you in your tracks, your book will never get done. Besides, you can learn a lot from all those bad drafts.
Do something creative that doesn’t involve writing at least once a month.
Bake a cake and decorate it yourself. Paint a picture. Choreograph a dance to your favorite tune. Make your next Halloween costume from scratch. Rearrange the furniture to create a greater sense of space. Make one of your resolutions to get creative by coming up with creative things to do!
Get prompted.
Take a break from your regular writing, look up some writing prompts online, and spend an hour creating something from that prompt. I’m doing that about once a month over on my writing blog. I’ve been amazed at what I’ve come up with. I also share science fiction writing prompts based on real science on that blog.
Get comfortable with Facebook live and start doing weekly or monthly reading sessions.
Share your work while getting better at sharing your work. That’s a win-win in my book!
Stretch your discipline muscle and commit to doing something either productive or fun every week.
For example, take your favorite cookbook out and make something from it every week. Or complete a 30-day challenge every month. I recommend Cary Oberbrunner’s Unhackable book club for starters. Or push yourself to go live on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube every week. The point is to commit to doing something on a regular basis, no matter what it is, and stick to that commitment so that you can grow your ability to, well, stick to things.
Look at my description of the eight facets of life.
Is one of them being ignored in your life? Resolve to pay more attention to it. For example, perhaps your spiritual life is nearly non-existent. Well, figure out how you can bring more spirituality into your life. For me that was developing a daily habit of prayer – it’s the first thing I do every morning. For you, it might be something completely different.
Choose a quality that you’d like to be more like.
Perhaps you want to be kinder, or more courageous, or more confident, or more whatever. Choose one quality and then work at increasing your expressions of that quality. Want to be more kind? Practice holding your tongue when you want to say something nasty about someone. Want to be more courageous? Take a small risk, one that makes you nervous but doesn’t terrify you. Do this often so that you can build up to be more courageous acts. The same goes for becoming more confident.
Please share your resolutions!
Do you have another resolution for authors? Please share in a comment below!
Note: This article first appeared on CarmaSpence.com in January 2021. It has been updated for content.