If you don’t know where you are heading, how do you know if you have there? For many writers ‘planning’ is something somebody else does, but a good writing plan can help you achieve your writing dreams.
What is a Writing Plan?
A writing plan is similar to a business plan and sets out the direction for a specified time. A writing plan could be written for a specific project, e.g. producing a novel, or writing a non-fiction manual, or it could outline your actions for the next year. Usually a writing plan will review the successes of the previous year, highlight outstanding actions and summarise the way forward for the coming year. Developing meaningful objectives and goals are critical to a writing plan.
Setting Objectives and Goals
A writing objective summarises the key targets you would like to achieve in a given time. Objectives are generally more long term and describe a state or vision you would like to have achieved. For e.g.to write a novel, or ten short stories or submit 300 articles.
Writing goals are the specific actions you need to take to achieve that particular objective. Goals tend to be more short-term and describe how you will achieve the long-term plan. So if you were working towards writing a thriller novel, you would need to break it down into outcomes. For e.g. writing 1000 words per day, submitting three short stories per week or mailing five queries per day. Goals need to be SMART, if they are to be realised:
- S Short term and Specific
- M Measurable
- A Achievable
- R Realistic
- T Timely
Setting Deadlines
Deadlines for a writer are commonplace. If you write regular columns or articles your output is determined by copy and publication dates. Your writing plan should be treated in much the same way. Working to deadlines helps to structure your pace and maintains motivation, providing they are realistic. If not, they can cause stress and anxiety. Having a balance is the key, not too long or things never get finished but not too short to make the task impossible. Writers all have their own pace and so deadlines are very individual, but don’t be afraid to set yourself some challenges.
Reviewing your Plan
As with any plan, a writing plan needs to be dynamic and is never written in stone. Things change, life happens and goals will need to be reviewed accordingly. Revisiting your plan on a regular basis will help to identify areas, which need attention but also will provide you with an assessment of your overall progress. Having a plan or a path to follow will provide the indicators for the next steps and allow you to identify your successes.
A writing is a living, reference document, which helps you achieve your writing ambitions. It should be flexible and reviewed regularly to take account of changes and other issues, which may affect your success. A writing plan should help you get to where you want to be as a writer.
