Setting Writing Goals

by Christine Meunier

The idea of writing a novel and getting it published can often appear like a romantic notion:

• You have an idea and decide to write
• Words flow and the story comes together easily and quickly
• You complete the book and celebrate this achievement
• You publish the book without hiccup and receive success and acknowledgement in the form of many readers and great reviews

Simple, right?

Do horses create a desire in you to write?

Perhaps not that simple.  Indeed, writing about horses is a passion.  It's something I love to do and look forward to doing.  However, at times it can also be difficult.  Not all stories flow and continue to do so until the novel is complete.

It is really important when writing, to try and set yourself a deadline to complete the task.  Make yourself accountable by setting goals to achieve and telling someone about these, so that they can check in with you.

Currently I'm writing the fifth book in the Free Rein series and I'm finding that I have to be deliberate with my writing.  That is, I've set myself a goal of writing a chapter a week, with the view of having the book complete and ready for proofing and editing by the end of April.

A common question to authors is: how do you deal with writers block?  Sometimes for me, I find that I have to just start writing and ideas will flow after I've taken the step to write something.

If you're getting into the world of writing horses, I encourage you to set writing goals and stick to them.  If you find at times that you write more than you'd hoped for - great!  Don't let that stop you from continuing on with your set goals however.  Still aim to write at least a certain amount each day or week.  Following through with writing goals will help you see the task to completion - then you can celebrate!

So what's your writing goal?