How Writing Goals Will Help You Build Momentum
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The following blog post has been excerpted from the FriesenPress writing guide: How to Write a Book Worth Publishing. Click here or scroll to the end for your free download!
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
When Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams uttered these profound words, he summed up a key reality of writing: deadlines matter, but only to a point. The purpose of a writing goal is to finish the work in a timely fashion. But not at the expense of the book’s quality, your sanity, or its appeal to the reader.
In a traditional setting, such as what the bestselling Adams was facing, the author is contracted to finish a book in a specified time so the publisher can deliver on its promises to retailers and other distribution networks. Deadlines are a necessary function of the business arrangement since many aspects of the book’s production rely on its timely completion.
But that situation doesn’t really apply to someone who plans on self-publishing their book or is trying to finish their novel before shopping it around to a traditional publisher. In other words, the author sets their own writing goals and then decides to adhere to the schedule or ignore it as real life makes its own demands on the writer’s time and attention.
So, what’s the best approach for those of us who labor away without the motivation that comes with a six-figure advance from a traditional publisher? The answer is to serve a new master and its name is “momentum.” This means that you need to establish a writing routine and writing goals that keep you going at a pace that feels both manageable and productive.
If you’ve ever had to push a car that’s broken down, you know that those first few steps are excruciatingly difficult. But once the vehicle gets rolling it’s surprising how easily the car keeps going. It’s because of the magic of momentum—and writing a book relies on this force as well.
Likewise, many authors find beginning their book is the hardest part. They can’t seem to overcome that initial inertia. But once they’re finally rolling along, the goal is to maintain that momentum. The biggest mistake is setting unachievable goals that go whooshing by at the speed of light. Unrealistic expectations can grind your book to a halt due to such a burden. The self-imposed deadline that was supposed to motivate you can easily turn into a momentum killer if you’re not careful.
The secret is counting words. They are the building blocks of sentences which in turn are the material that creates paragraphs and chapters. If you want to know how long it will take to write a first draft of your book, just do the math. Let’s assume your book is going to be 50,000- words long and you can comfortably manage to write 2,000 words in a week. Then it’s going to be a six-month effort to complete a first draft. Breaking your goal down even further, you will need to write 500 words a day over four days a week. That works out to a couple of double-spaced pages per day.
It really can be that simple. The trick is to find the sweet spot of staying motivated so that you can maintain momentum without overburdening yourself. Maybe you can only write 300 words a day but you can do it enjoyably seven days a week. You would still manage to finish your first draft in six months.
First-time authors can find it hard to relate to arbitrary word counts. So here’s an easy solution. Select a book you like, one that seems about the size of a something you might write and then be proud of calling your own. Next, determine how many words are in the book.
Sometimes all it takes is a quick internet search. Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry has only 16,534 words. That’s very short for a novel but very long for a children’s book. The mega hit, Atomic Habits by James Clear, has 48,575 words, a pretty typical count for a self-help book. If you can’t find the word count online then do it yourself. Crack the book open to the middle and literally count the total number of words on three pages and then divide by three. The result will be an average of words per page for that particular tome, probably somewhere between 250 and 300. Then, multiply that figure by the number of pages in the book and you’ll have your answer—which you can now use as your word count goal. Mastering momentum should be your primary goal as you begin your book. Don’t worry about being perfect or penning the next winner of the Nobel prize for literature. Get into a routine that feels good. Writing shouldn’t be a grind. Set word counts that work for you.
Be realistic about the time you have available for research. Establish a structure that is suitable for your lifestyle and make sure you have goals you can reach. As long as you maintain momentum you will be able to cross the finish line with your first draft.
Some authors work with a book coach to help them stay on track and avoid long interruptions in their writing. Others join writing groups to benefit from peer support and motivation. One of these options may be helpful to you, but the goal is always the same: keep the momentum going. Your job as an author is to know what kinds of structure, support, and goals empower your writing and generate results so that you stick to your schedule and produce the work.
John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.” Rest assured that your life won’t care that you’ve got a plan to write a book. But a book is a big accomplishment and it will be something you will be remembered for. Make your book part of your life when you are writing it. Give it the status and priority it deserves, and the rest of your life will learn to make room for it.
And be careful when it comes to taking time off from your work. The best authors build breaks into their writing schedule as they map out the timetable for their initial draft. Short breaks are beneficial, especially when you transition from writing into rewriting or editing your manuscript. But unlike relationships, absence does not always make your heart grow fonder when writing a book. Too much time off can quickly kill momentum if you don’t manage breaks appropriately.
In the end, it is up to you to discover your unique needs when it comes to building and maintaining momentum with your writing. Use the right kind of goals, like word counts, to measure progress and stay engaged. Writing a book is more like a marathon than a sprint. Take your time, take care of your motivation and keep writing. Someday soon your book will be a reality.
Steve Donahue is a professional speaker, book coach, and the author of two bestselling nonfiction books. His works have sold over 100,000 copies and have been translated into Korean, Turkish, Russian and Greek. Steve helps new and experienced authors turn their book ideas into well-crafted publications that delight readers and inspire change. To learn more, visit his website at MyBookCoach.ca.
