by Alycia W. Morales     @AlyciaMorales

Every year is a chance to start over. We set new goals, attempt to achieve new plans. Sometimes we stick to them, some times we fail. Thankfully, we have 365 chances to accomplish them.

Many of us will set writing goals for 2017. Not sure yours are reasonable or not sure what you want to achieve? Here are a few ideas for setting those writing goals and achieving success in 2017:

1. Keep your goals reasonable. Rather than set a high expectation for yourself, lower the bar a bit. If I say I’m going to write 2,000 words a day or for four hours per day, but I know I’m going to be working part time or editing others’ work or chasing kneecap-sized kids, I am unlikely to achieve that goal. Rather than setting yourself up for failure, set yourself up to succeed. Write 500 words a day. That’s an easy goal that can be achieved in a short amount of time. If you have the time and are on a roll, write longer. Extra success!
2. Consider what you’d like to accomplish. Are you a freelancer who wants to write a certain number of articles this year? Are you a new writer who wants to take classes to learn more about the craft and business? Do you want to write a certain number of books this year? Do you want to find an agent? What are your goals for 2017? Write them down. Then set yourself up with a timeline, a submission calendar, whatever you need to keep your goal in front of you.
3. Manage your time. There is so much available to distract us these days. Social media. Overflowing email accounts. Family members who seek our attention the minute we sit down to write. The house that needs to be cleaned. The friend who wants to have lunch. Learn to schedule your day. Set aside a specific time to write. We all have a period of time throughout the day when our creativity is at its peak. Mine is mid-morning. Put that time on your calendar every day and avoid scheduling anything else during that time. Let your friends and family know your schedule so they learn not to interrupt you during that time.
4. Learn something new. We can never know everything there is to know about writing. The industry is always changing, so there’s always something new we need to know. Whether you read writing blogs, magazines, industry journals, or books or take classes or attend conferences, commit to continue to learn throughout the year. Study how to improve your craft. Find out what editors are looking for. Learn which agents represent what types of books. Keep learning.
5. Keep marketing yourself. Whether you’re published or not, you should be putting yourself out there. Social media. Blogging. Networking with other writers and industry leaders. Writing is a lonely business, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. There are plenty of people who we can interact with on a daily basis, which, in the long run, will enable us to easily market our published books. Continue to grow your audience while working up to publication.
6. Commit. It’s easy to set a goal and then let it go when life takes over. We get sick and our schedule becomes staying in bed for more days than we’d like. It’s difficult to get back on track and catching up is never easy. But it is doable. Family members have emergency needs and we have to refocus our attention for a day. We’ll make up the word count tomorrow. Whatever comes up, make a commitment to yourself right now that you will do what it takes to meet your goals in 2017. No excuses.

These are just a few ways to ensure writing success in the new year. What else would you add to the list? Which of these do you find yourself thinking you need to work on? If you’ve had a writing success in 2016, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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Alycia W. Morales is an award-winning freelance editor and author. Her clients have won the Selah Award, BRMCWC Director’s Choice Award, and many others. Her writing has been published in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. She is a member of ACFW, the president of Cross n’ Pens critique group, and a BRMCWC Conference Assistant.

Alycia blogs at The Write Editing and Life. Inspired.

When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband and four children taking hikes in Upstate SC and NC, creating various crafts, coloring in adult coloring books, and watching TV.