Setting writing goals feels a bit like promising yourself you’ll finally organize that junk drawer—noble intentions, terrible execution.
TLDR:
- Start embarrassingly small with your writing goals to build sustainable momentum
- Focus on process over product to avoid the feast-or-famine cycle of creative output
- Build your publishing toolkit early, even before you think you need it
The Seductive Trap of Big Dreams
Every January, writers everywhere dust off their keyboards and declare this THE year they’ll finish three novels, launch a newsletter, and maybe cure writer’s block forever. I’ve been there. Actually, I’m probably there right now if I’m being honest.
The problem isn’t ambition—it’s that we treat writing like a sprint when it’s really more like tending a garden. You don’t plant tomatoes and expect salsa by Thursday. Well, maybe you do, but the tomatoes certainly don’t care about your timeline.
Start Where You Are, Not Where You Want to Be
Here’s what actually works: aim so low it feels almost insulting to your intelligence. Want to write a novel? Start with 50 words a day. Not 500, not 1,000. Fifty. That’s a paragraph. Sometimes barely that.
The magic isn’t in the word count—it’s in showing up. Once you’re sitting there, fingers on keys, something curious happens. You write 73 words instead of 50. Then 120. Before long, you’re accidentally building a habit instead of forcing one.
Process Over Product
Focus on what you can control:
- Time spent writing (not words produced)
- Days per week you show up
- Learning one new craft element monthly
The books will come. Trust me on this, or don’t—the books don’t really care about our trust issues either.
Build Your Publishing Arsenal Early
While you’re developing that writing habit, start familiarizing yourself with the tools you’ll eventually need. AI fiction writing tools can help with brainstorming when you’re stuck. For covers and marketing materials, AI image generation with commercial licensing offers affordable solutions. And when you’re ready to actually get your work into readers’ hands, platforms like publishing services for books, ebooks, and audiobooks handle the technical maze.
Think of it as collecting ingredients before you need to cook dinner. Much less stressful than realizing you need onions while the pan is already heating.
The Long Game
Real writing careers aren’t built in a year—they’re built in decades of showing up consistently. Set goals that assume you’ll still be writing in 2030, 2035, 2040. What seems urgent today probably isn’t. What seems impossible over ten years probably isn’t either.
Start embarrassingly small. Stay ridiculously consistent. The rest tends to sort itself out.