How I Plan My Writing Year

   And once again it is THAT time of year, the the time of year in which we are setting goals, making resolutions, and - if you're a writer - planning yourself a year's worth of projects! 

  So how do you go about deciding what to write, edit, plot, or publish when heading into a New Year? Well today, I'm here to show you MY process, and how you can emulate it to stay on top of your writing plans in 2021!

  Here are the 4 Steps I take to determine what realistic goals I can set for myself in 2021:

  1. MAKE A LIST OF WHAT TO (IDEALLY) WRITE

  This is the step where your imagination, hopes, and dreams can run their wildest! Of course taking into account projects you might already have on the go, what do you want to accomplish in this shiny new year? Maybe you want to finish the first draft of this manuscript, maybe start editing another, maybe you want to publish! Whatever the case may be, write all this stuff down now and don't be afraid to go big. We haven't set our goals - yet! This is just a brainstorming session. 

  I told myself I wanted to finish the last 30 chapters of The Promise this year, write a totally new (and for now, totally secret) manuscript, finish the first draft of Don't Insult the Witch, write something for NaNo, and write ten new poems. For me, this is a pretty ambitious list, so don't be afraid to be pretty ambitious too!

  2. DIVIDE THE YEAR

  After I get my list down, I take the new year and divide it into three parts: January-April, May-August, and September-December. Each of these seasons of the year are very different for me and will enormously affect my productivity for different reasons. You might be in a similar boat if you, for instance, have a seasonal job, are in school, etc. But when you divide your year, be sure to keep these things in mind for the next step...

 

  3. TAKE AN OBJECTIVE LOOK AT YOUR CALENDAR

  Along with the aforementioned school and/or work schedules that affect your day-to-day life, there are usually other "real life" things that will influence your timetable, productivity, and availability to your writing work. Things like vacations, holiday seasons, extra-curricular activities, moving, big events, etc can all affect your writing output and interrupt your list of goals, so it's important to recognize and plan for them. 

  At this step I like to pull out my calendar, taking into account what's been planned out (like a vacation), recalling the change of each season that life brings me, and keep it all in mind for step four.

  For myself, I usually have a very hectic May-August season, taking July and August off of writing almost completely to allow for the summer adventures and work I am usually neck deep in. I also always take off December as my down-time of the year, time to use my free time to relax, de-stress, recharge, and reset for the coming year. January-April is a good writing work season for me, as it is usually gross and cold in Alberta and easy to take lots of time inside in front of your screen. 

  4. PLAN! PLAN! PLAN!

  And now we get to the good stuff! Taking everything above into account, I get out my big ol' whiteboard and dry erase pens and get to planning! With my year divided, I jot down everything I want and can reasonably expect to do in that timeframe, and getting everything fit into the best possible place. This usually takes a little bit to figure out, especially if you have a lot of projects on the go (and even moreso if you have a lot of non-writing things going on too), so give yourself a good amount of time to figure it all out. 

  My own writing goals for the year followed this method and left me with ample time to do what I listed I wanted to do, all so long as I follow one more step. 

  The fifth, bonus step is...

  5. STTDP

  What is STTDP? It's an acronym used by the people in my horse circle, which stands for Stick To The Damn Plan! And while very applicable for horses, it is equally as applicable for writing too.

  What's the use of weaving together this whole, well-thought out and established plan for your goals if you're simply going to throw in the towel when the going gets tough? Believe me, I know better than anyone how easily life can derail the best laid plans, but if you want results, if you want the satisfaction of holding your finished book in your hands someday, then you're going to have to stick it out!

  And of course that doesn't mean that your plans are set in stone, or that you can't change your mind, or that things won't come up. It doesn't mean you should feel bad or guilty if you don't make it all the way through the year and succeed at everything. But so long as you're committed to doing your very best, you are guaranteed to have a successful writing year in 2021. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

How to Quickly and Completely Organize Your Month

Plan Your New Year Like A Boss

How to Outline a Fantasy Novel

LET'S TALK.

  Have you planned your 2021 writing season yet (probably, it's halfway through January already lol)? What are some of your big goals for the new year? And what methods do you have of setting them? Let me know in the comments below!