Crushing Writing Goals is a Great Feeling!

We’re almost halfway through the year. Can you believe it? This year is flying by fast. Anyway, I wanted to share my writing progress so far this year.

My writing goals were pretty specific at the beginning of the year. I have worked hard at figuring out goals that I knew I could accomplish and making them as specific as I could.

Reviewing your goals is a good habit to get into, and you should be looking at them more than at the halfway point of the year. I normally look at my goals at least once a week and see how I’m doing. But at the end of June, I actually rewrite my goals if needed.

This year I have six writing goals. While I don’t feel like I’ve gotten very far yet, I know I am getting close to crushing a couple of them.

Goal 1
I want to publish the four books I have started.

I had a slow start with this. I finished writing the last 10K words of the third book of my trilogy during Camp NaNoWriMo in April. I was so excited about that. I’ve tried four times to write it so what a great feeling it was to write the end of it during that month.

In the last month or so, I’ve edited the Rick Springfield memoir as well as the self-publishing book via a hard copy. I have organized some more Rick memorabilia so I’m hoping to add more details to that book before I do a final edit.

The self-publishing book is done as soon as I make the changes to it. I might add a couple of things, but it’s ready for beta readers and an editor at that point.

The only thing left for it will be a cover. And I’m leaning toward doing that myself. It won’t cost me anything if I use Canva and maybe even a stock photo, but the photo shouldn’t be very much.

Goal 2
I want to read 36 books.

I’ve read 10 books so far, and I have two more to add soon. Yes, I read two or three books at once. I’m reading a book in the women’s fiction genre I write trying to get a better feel for the books that are there, and I finished a nonfiction book about writing.

I’ll be kicking more reading in gear soon. I had planned to do a reading challenge, but I’m going to drop that and read books that really interest me or have some reason.

Goal 3
I want to make at least $500 a month in freelance writing and editing.

I’ve only hit this goal once since the first of the year. That happened in May when I got an editing job followed quickly by a proofreading job.

But I hadn’t been consistent in my marketing until the end of April or first of May. The proofreading job was a repeat client, too. I’m doing better with my marketing now so hopefully the jobs will start coming.

Goal 4
I will submit/pitch ideas at least five times a week.

This goal hasn’t happened nearly as much as I would like. I have shifted where my writing is going, and cold pitching isn’t one of the things I want to do. If I have an article, then yes, I’ll submit it, but right now my focus is on my books.

For now, this goal is on hold. I might try it again once I get the books all done by the end of the year.

Goal 5
I will write at least 500 words each day.

This goal is one I’m crushing every morning. Until May 1, I was hitting 500 words a day several times a month, but not every day like I wanted.

Once I started my new morning routine, I’m hitting 500 words every morning. The words may only be journaling, but who knows what ideas will come from the journaling. Some days I’m journaling about my writing goals so the ideas are written down.

I’m planning to get myself better organized so that I can write 500 words of a book or even a blog post and make my morning writing more productive. Productivity is important when you work a day job during the school year and have limited time.

Goal 6
I will schedule posts at least two times a week and spend time marketing each day (20-30 minutes).

Finally, I’m getting the hang of the marketing. I’m doing it for both my author and my freelance pages on Facebook as well as the Twitter pages. I spend around an hour every couple of days scheduling posts for the next couple of days. I check each every day and respond to comments.

From May 1 and on, I can’t believe how much my life has changed. Starting The Miracle Morning routine has made me change for the good. I’m writing those 500 words every day, something I never thought I would do.

I’m ready to crush the rest of these writing goals — at least as much as I can — by the end of the year.

How are your writing goals coming along this year? Share how you’re doing with them!