Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Making Rigid Goals
Everyone makes mistakes—even writers—but that’s OK because each mistake is a great learning opportunity. The Writer’s Digest team has witnessed many mistakes over the years, so we started this series to help identify them early in the process. Note: The mistakes in this series aren’t focused on grammar rules, though we offer help in that area as well.
Rather, we’re looking at bigger picture mistakes and mishaps, including the error of using too much exposition, hiding your pitch, or chasing trends. This week’s writing mistake writers make is making rigid goals.
Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Making Rigid Goals
I want to be upfront: I 100% believe in setting goals to find success in everything, whether it’s running, writing, or reading. In fact, one of my older posts in this series is dedicated to the mistake of not setting goals. However, the opposite end of the goal-making spectrum are writers who set such rigid goals that they can thwart their own chances of finding success with their writing.
(How I Stopped Sabotaging My Writing Goals.)
An example might be the writer who has the goal of writing and publishing novel, but they only ever seem to be able to complete shorter fiction. Since their goal is rigidly getting a novel published, they don’t try to publish their short fiction and may even consider those stories disappointments…because they’re not novel-length.
Or a writer of nonfiction wants to write a column and/or feature-length stories for a specific magazine, but they don’t try pitching smaller pieces in the front of the magazine—or even pitching other magazines. They get such tunnel vision on the specific format (or specific publication) that they don’t afford themselves the opportunity to find a different form of success. Basically, the goal is so rigid that it’s success or bust.
And that’s no way to make it as a writer. I’ve known far too many writers who did finish their first novel, couldn’t find publication, and then, quit. And anyone who reads enough author spotlights on this site has surely seen how that writing multiple unpublished novels is sometimes the path that leads to the bestselling writing career.
Mistake Fix: Make Soft Goals
I often advise making a mix of short-term and long-term goals and then to be willing to adjust them over time. The short-term goals are usually more manageable tasks (for instance, writing at least 500 words a days or pitching an article idea once a week). The long-term goals might be more ambitious (like finishing a book-length manuscript or becoming a full-time freelance writer).
(How to Start Podcasting: A Checklist for Writers.)
The really important point to keep in mind with this mistake fix is that the goals are adjustable over time. Many writers might start off writing fiction and realize they have something to contribute in the nonfiction space. Or a poet may discover they have a story to share with the world. A journalist who is used to writing 1,000-word pieces may realize they have a book in them. An author may suddenly decide they’d like to make a go at podcasting.
Personally, there’s so much I would’ve never accomplished as a writer (and an editor, for that matter) if I had only limited my vision to what my goals were coming out of high school or college (or even 10 years into my professional career, for that matter). Goals are helpful, but they should always be used as a tool—not as a box.
So make some writing and publishing goals, work toward them, and always be willing to adjust as needed.
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