New Year is undeniably a chance for a fresh start. For many of us, especially writers aspiring to book publication, it’s a pivotal time to reflect on our hopes and dreams and turn them into tangible realities. I, for one, just this week have felt like I have been given a whole extra chapter of the Mary book I seem to have been writing forever. (It got waylaid by my present studies at the Hebrew University.) I recommend focus on one big goal at a time.
The following methodology works for goals of any kind, not just writerly: let’s taste and see how we can turn our 2025 aspirations into reality.
Recognizing One Big Goal
The first step is to clearly define our goal. Whatever it is, our best tool towards achieving it will be some introspective journaling.
Write down your primary aspiration in one sentence. For example, “I want to actually write and seek publication for the book that has been buzzing in my brain by…” (fill in your realistic deadline here, although completing a book and getting it out there may take longer than one year!)
Now, make your goal feel vivid and attainable: expand your one sentence into a paragraph. What message are you conveying to your readers? Imagine your cover, launch event, the shelf your book sits on in the bookstore…
Breakdown Your Steps
But how to get there? What are the steps, and how long will they take you?
If you’re like me, allocate (a heap) more time than you think necessary! Writing a book is no small feat—it takes dedication and persistence. Create a timeline that includes major milestones, like completing your first draft, revising, and drafting query letters to agents or publishers or your plans to publish yourself.
All this takes vision.
Perhaps your project is not a book— maybe it’s launching your own business or reaching a point where you are successfully marketing your particular creative skills—you will need to consider the self-same steps.
Journaling Your Journey
Journaling is an invaluable tool in this process. Use it not only to envision but to navigate your goal’s journey. Think about major milestones along the way. For instance, finishing that first draft is an enormous achievement! What comes next, after that?
Your plan shouldn’t end with writing a manuscript to put it in a drawer.
Skill Acquisition
Are there new skills you need to acquire to see your project through? Do you need to enhance your writing, marketing, or social media skills to effectively promote yourself and your work?
Take advantage of online courses, local workshops, or writer’s groups like my own free online group FAB CHOW to gain skills and/or the encouragement you need. Joining a supportive community may help keep you on track.
Anticipating Barriers
Barriers to success can and will crop up along your creative path. (Self-doubt is a predictable one.) Your plan should envisage potential roadblocks and prepare strategies to avoid or overcome them. Setting a specific writing schedule, for instance, and perhaps also a fall-back schedule for the week or month, should the time get stolen, (as it does!) can be comforting and reassuring.
Finding the energy for creative pursuits can be challenging. Allocate time within your plans to create pockets of time you can dedicate to progressing towards achieving your goal.
Commitment
Consider using small increments effectively. Even fifteen minutes a day adds up over time, although I can never stick to this myself. If I begin something for a short spurt, the chances are strong I’ll still be on it hours later.
The moral of this exercise is to set targets that chime with your personality and preferred work habits. It is vital to prioritize your writing time as sacred— your appointments with your writing are as imperative as any business task or meeting.
Risks and Rewards
In your journaling, don’t shy away from assessing the risks associated with your goal that are likely to emerge over time—imagine yourself looking back from several years hence.
Reflect on the highs and lows and costs, material and potentially personal, along the way. Are these acceptable to you? Visualize a future you reflecting back on your journey. Did the pursuit of your goal bring fulfillment? Did you utilize your resources, time, and money effectively?
Such reflection can provide clarity and motivation to continue. Although it may even result in your deciding to walk away, you would be doing so out of clear-sightedness and not fear.
Achieving One Big Goal
We should never lose sight of the fact that achieving our one big goal is a journey, not a sprint.
If we embrace the process, celebrate our successes and are kind to ourselves along the way, we will not only make real strides towards our aspirations but also foster a deeper appreciation of our own creative journeys.
So grab your journal, map out your path, and let’s make 2025 a year of positivity in our accomplishments!
I’d love to hear your view in the comments below.
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