If you've read any of my posts this new year, you know I'm not into making goals and resolutions I won't keep. I've adopted the one-word philosophy, and my word is organized. So far, it's working pretty well for me. But this doesn't mean that you shouldn't think about your writing business. Let's face it, if you are looking to get published, writing is also a business. So, what are three things you should think about in 2016 to improve your writing as a business?1. Reflect on your past year--one accomplishment and one failure.
What is something in your writing life that went really well in 2015--a contest win? A published book? Maybe you started that blog you've always wanted to! Then look at the other side (but don't dwell on it--we are not dwelling on the negative here). What is something that didn't go so well? Did you get several rejections on one piece? Did you stop your normal writing routine? Reflect on your year and pick your best and your worst. This will help you think about your strengths and weaknesses, which can give you a starting point for 2016.
2. Think about 2016. Decide one thing you want to accomplish and one thing you want to avoid.
What do you want to accomplish this year in your writing business? If you take my one-word philosophy, I want to be more organized. What that looks like in my writing life is organizing my time better so that I am writing on a more consistent basis and so that I know what project I want to work on--and so I give myself time to market my writing business. I want to accomplish a writing life again--I feel like I barely have one, and like I said, this also fits in with organization.
I want to avoid getting myself back in this block I've been in for the past 6 months. How about you? What do you want to avoid? Social media during your writing time? A critique partner who is not helpful? Working on non-fiction when you really want to be working on romance? Spending too much time marketing instead of writing? Look at the one failure in 2015 and decide how you can avoid that from happening again.
3. Create a long-term vision for your writing business.
Vision boards or dream boards are currently popular because they create a picture of what someone's life will look like when she accomplishes the things she wants to in her life. Make a vision board or dream board for your writing life. What will your writing business look like in five or ten years?
For instructions on vision boards, you can visit this website or read this Huffington Post article.
Your writing business is always changing. To make these changes for the better and to fit inline with what your hopes and dreams are, take some time to reflect. If you've already made goals and plans for the new year, don't be afraid to change them--in two weeks or two months. And consider a vision board--my writing group members and I make one almost every year, and I keep this hanging in my house where I can always see it.
Best of luck with your writing business in 2016!
Margo--Your post is applicable to everyone. I want to avoid the phrase, "I can't" and instead dwell on what I CAN do. No, I don't always have four or five hours to write. However, I almost always have 30 minutes, or an hour every day.
ReplyDeleteI hope that 2016 is a wonderful year for you--personally and well as writerly-wise.
I like this idea! It's like the Yin and Yang of goals. Recognizing the negative is as important to succeeding as focusing on the positive.
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