Three Reasons Why You Aren't Achieving Your Writing Goals and How to Defeat Them

Image generated with OpenAI by the author

  Any new writer can tell you that getting started feels like an uphill battle.

  There seems to be so much friction to being a beginner. You don't want to be a poor writer, you're afraid to share, will you be able to be successful, the list goes on.

That's why we often create writing goals.

  These could be productivity goals, like a daily or weekly writing goal. They could also be completion goals, such as finishing a novel or a story collection. Maybe it's a career goal. Regardless the goal, the struggle to achieve them persists.

    Early in my writing career I found myself setting goals and eventually giving up. I fell into the typical pitfalls, perfectionism, inconsistency, and unclear goals.

Perfectionism

  As all writers start off, we want to have a masterpiece on the first try. We end up writing some, editing that, then writing more, but we end up hating the first part and start all over again.

It's paralyzing.

  Most of us will never be a masterpiece writer on the first try. It takes practice and feedback. I got around my paralysis with a system for my writing and editing process.

1. Set a "Shitty first draft" goal. Focus on completion not quality.

2. Edit that first draft. If I rewrite less than 30%, I only do a maximum of three drafts.

3. If I rewrite over 30% while editing, I add one or two more drafts MAX.

4. Allow at least one other person read it for editing and clarity purposes. Their feedback is extremely valuable. This will tell you if you need to do more work before submitting for publication.

5. Give it one more draft based on the feedback.

6. Ask your "editor" to take another look. If they have no new edits, then consider it done. This is to keep you from circling draft hell.

7. Accept when something is good enough. Improvement comes with practice.

Perfectionism is what causes so many potentially great writers to give up. Use a system to help you get past it.

Inconsistent Writing Habits

  Inconsistency doesn't allow for a writer to practice the craft enough. This often stems from feeling the need to be inspired to write, as opposed to having the discipline and dedication to write.

This was me early on. If I didn't feel inspired, why would I write? I was afraid of it feeling forced and lacked genuine feeling.

I lacked structure and routine.

  The fix was to build another system.

1. Create a non-negotiable writing schedule. Even if its for only fifteen or thirty minutes daily.

2. Track your writing streaks to build accountability.

3. Make it a habit.

4. Identify your optimal writing environment. (I personally like to sit in my recliner with my laptop, focus music, and a cup of coffee.)

5. Identify the best time of day for you to write. Early morning, afternoon, night, late-night, whichever works best for you. Experiment if needed.

I started out with a morning writing routine before work. As long as I got something on the page, I considered it a successful day. This was non-negotiable, I just needed to write.

Mornings worked best for me before work, I was less likely to be interrupted and I found myself to be the most creative at that time.

As I built the habit, I started extending how long I would write from short sessions to an hour. After my first week, I felt that missing a day would be a crime against my identity.

That was the moment when I felt I had truly built a system that worked to keep me consistent.

Unclear Goals

  Not having clear goals creates a lack of focus. It's like not having the flag to show you where to aim when teeing off in golf.

  You end up just drifting.

This was a pitfall I fell into every time I started to pick up writing again. I just knew that I wanted to be a writer. I didn't have any real goal in mind. I felt overwhelmed, changed my focus to what I would try or work on, and there was no way to measure progress.

  It turns out it's not just setting clear goals, but the right goals too.

1. Use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).

2. Break large projects into smaller milestones with deadlines.

3. Celebrate small wins to maintain motivation.

4. Regularly reassess and adjust goals based on real-life constraints.

5. Focus on process goals. Example: Write for 30 minutes instead of outcome goals.

I started with process goals, that's what helped me build the habit. As I experimented more clarity came that allowed me to start doing SMART goals.

Start small and build from there.

Finding a reason to celebrate any little achievement is absolutely needed. I remember the first post I published on medium, I celebrated my courage with a little treat with my morning coffee that day.

Don't let fear, inconsistency, or unclear goals stop you from achieving your dreams.

Your story or insight might help inspire the next writer.