Storyletter Thoughts: How close are you to reaching your goals? What's holding you back?
storyletter.substack.com
I was pondering the years I’ve been meaning to publish a novel but never have. I’ve written 3 in the last 5 years, but haven’t taken the final leap. Why? What’s keeping me from my annual goal of becoming an indie published author? I realized that setting the goal of being published is great and all, but it’s more of a byproduct rather than a goal. The smaller achievements along the way are what will get me there.
I started making considerable progress last year when I switched to smaller goal setting. Here are just a few examples from last year:
Finish writing and revising my book (better if broken into smaller increments). Check.
Of course, this is just the beginning. Now that I have a foundation, I can build up from here and make 2023 the year I finally publish a book. There are so many steps on this journey, but the best part is that we’re not alone.
Do you know where you’re going this year? How will you get there? Are you going the indie or traditional route? If you’re published, any tips for new writers seeking to indie publish? What pitfalls are you going to avoid next time?
This is a broad topic. All comments are welcome. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! ~ WM
Good for you, Winston! This all sounds exciting. Best of luck with it :-)
I haven't made firm plans yet on publication of OWAW because I'm still deciding between publishing this year or waiting until the trilogy is complete and publishing all three books together. I welcome recommendations if anyone wants to weigh in!
Book 2 is being revised and should be posted this year, but Book 3 is really just a rough draft at this stage, so I really have to concentrate on that now as well. Lots to think about!
I'm trying to strike some balance between getting this Substack off the ground and finishing the outline for the novel I started back in 2020. I've already written part of it, but am trying to plan ahead for the massive overhaul it needs to be good.
I'm curious of the novels you've finished, is there one in particular you plan to publish? Anything you can share about genre or audience? The way you set small goals ended up being a life changer for me. When I got back into writing, I committed to writing every day, but only a few paragraphs or a page or so. It took me a few months before I felt like I could write a full short story.
Good for you, Winston! This all sounds exciting. Best of luck with it :-)
I haven't made firm plans yet on publication of OWAW because I'm still deciding between publishing this year or waiting until the trilogy is complete and publishing all three books together. I welcome recommendations if anyone wants to weigh in!
Book 2 is being revised and should be posted this year, but Book 3 is really just a rough draft at this stage, so I really have to concentrate on that now as well. Lots to think about!
How much left do you have to write?
I'm trying to strike some balance between getting this Substack off the ground and finishing the outline for the novel I started back in 2020. I've already written part of it, but am trying to plan ahead for the massive overhaul it needs to be good.
I'm curious of the novels you've finished, is there one in particular you plan to publish? Anything you can share about genre or audience? The way you set small goals ended up being a life changer for me. When I got back into writing, I committed to writing every day, but only a few paragraphs or a page or so. It took me a few months before I felt like I could write a full short story.