As writers, many of us don’t like thinking about the business side of things. We prefer to be the artsy, creative geniuses and leaving the business to agents and editors. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. (Though, when I’m working on a new project I tell my agent to only call if she has good news.) The truth is, we have to be involved in the day-to-day if we want to be successful. We need to know what is in our contracts, and what we want out of our careers.
We also need to know where it is we want to go. I don’t care what profession you are in, you need goals. I know, I hate the word “goals” too. It reminds me of some 1970s direct sales thing. But we. as writers, need a way to measure our success, and goals help us do that. Even if you aren’t published yet, you could be incredibly successful. You may have already created a network of writer friends, reviewers or people in the biz, who can help you once you do sell. That is success. You may have completed your first, second or 3oth manuscript, and that is success. You may be honing your craft at various conferences or writing classes, and that is success. You may have set up a huge Twitter/Facebook/Blog following.
Each of us measures success differently. But we need something to tell us where we are going, and a way to measure what we’ve done. If you answer the questions below, it will help get you on your way.
Since we are coming upon the New Year, I encourage you to post your goals here and get them out into the universe.
What Kind of Writer are You?
- What is your voice? What type of books do you write?
- What are underlying themes in messages in your books? (I write books about strong females who kick butt, but have a heart of gold. Magic, and hunky but understanding men are also themes for me.)
- What is your style of writing? Humor, mysteries, light, dark, rich with sarcasm?
- What kind of writer are you? Plotter? Pantser? Disciplined, not so much? Who are you?
- What are some of your strengths as a writer? Are you strong with dialogue or plot? Is it that your voice is distinctive?
Where do You Want to Go?
- Where do you want to be in your writing career six months from now?
- What is one thing you can do to get your career jump started in the next week? Submissions? Finishing a manuscript? Writing a synopsis?
- What will you look like when you consider yourself a success as a writer? Take a moment to visualize that success? Where are you, how do you look?
- Write down four goals you want to accomplish in the next year with your writing making sure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound.
If you aren’t a writer, do this with whatever career you have. This time next year it will be fun to look back and see how much we have accomplished. 
Happy Holidays
Candy
