Sunday, December 27, 2015

Setting Goals for Your Writing Career

by Brenda McGraw @BrendaMMcGraw

Setting Goals for Your Writing Career
I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. Can you believe it is the end of another year?

How did you do with your goals and plans this year?

The end of the year is the time to evaluate the current year 2015, before heading into 2016, so we can begin with a fresh start.

Sometimes this can be difficult. We can make excuses of what we didn’t get accomplished or we can resolve to execute the plans we will accomplish the upcoming new year.

Many times the hardest part of a writing career is the beginning. At least it was for me. I had no direction or vision, because to be honest, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing back then.

Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained;
But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].
Proverbs 29:18 (AMP)


Stay close to the Lord. He wants to give you the desires of your heart. He has great plans and paths for you to follow. 

God may lay before you an idea and then wait to
see if you're willing to move forward.
God may lay before you an idea, a thought, a dream or vision, and then He waits to see if you are willing to take the steps necessary to move forward into the unknown.

If you take a step forward, He will open the door for your next move.

God doesn’t want you to fail; He wants you to succeed.

Turn your good intentions into obedient actions.

Let your good intentions put a smile on someone’s face, or make a difference in the life of a friend.

To set some goals or steps for 2016:

1. Pray. Pray asking God first what He wants you to do in 2016.

2. Prepare. Find a place in a journal, in your notes on your phone, in Evernote (http://www.evernote.com)—somewhere besides a little piece of paper that will get lost, where you can write everything you feel God is telling you about 2016.

Write down everything on a piece of paper.
3. Plan. Write down everything on a piece of paper.

4. Plot. Beside everything you wrote, try to elaborate. For instance, if you think God wants you to write a book next year, then write down when you want to have it completed. When we write specific goals, it helps us put steps into action. If you think God wants you to share your faith or start a ministry, be specific—where can you go to share your faith, or what type of ministry will you have?

5. Propose. Beside each goal, propose what your steps will be to accomplish your goals and plans. What does your plan look like?

6. Prize. Obtain the prize that the Lord has for you. You will be rewarded for your hard work and preparation.

The people who put feet to their thoughts are the ones who will walk in the victory of their calling.

I want to encourage you on your journey in 2016. While taking the first step can make all the difference in achieving your goals, there are a few more factors that I shared last year and want to share again that will help you move forward:
  • Focus on the Lord to help you accomplish your goals.
  • Be optimistic. Remember, a goal takes work. If it were easy, you would have
  • already accomplished it.
  • Don’t listen to the naysayers. People everywhere want to throw cold water on
  • your dreams. They don’t necessarily mean to, but they don’t recognize your desire
  • or calling.
  • Surround yourself with others who are like-minded and have similar goals.
  • Serve others. While you are reaching for your dreams and goals, so are others. Help
  • them reach their dreams and calling, and guess what—it will come back to you in
  • some way.
  • Don’t quit. You can do all things though Christ who strengthens you and, may I
  • add, calls you. 

Pray, prepare, plan, plot, propose and win the prize!

Can you leave a comment with one goal you have for 2016? I will pray for you. 

TWEETABLES
Setting goals for your #writing career - tips from @BrendaMMcGraw on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Pray, prepare, plan, plot, propose and move forward with your #writing goals - @BrendaMMcGraw (Click to Tweet)

Brenda McGraw is an author and speaker who reveals how to discover joy beyond the clutter of life. She draws from her own life experiences in the #1 Amazon Best seller, “Joy Beyond, 28 Days to Finding Joy Beyond the Clutter of Life”. She is the founder of Ask God Today Ministries where she has a team of writers sharing truth and hope with others. 

Brenda currently lives in South Carolina with her husband, Jeff and three of their five children. She is a survivor of breast cancer and a heart attack.. Despite the challenges she has endured, Brenda found peace through her relationship with Jesus Christ. 

You can connect with Brenda at:

6 comments:

  1. Brenda, This is just what I needed. I was praying this morning and asking God to help me with goals. My verse has been 2 Corinthians 8:11 "Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means." You gave me a new one Proverbs 29:18 I need to complete my first book and get it to the publisher. God has given me 2 other books that He wants me to work on next year. I get overwhelmed at the thought of it. God and I will make a plan. Thanks again for this. I am going to print it and stick it next to my computer. Happy new Year

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  2. Thank you Brenda for your encouraging words. I love to write for children and I have several picture books completed. My goal is to get those books out there this year, either through self publishing or through traditional publishing. I plan to pray more about what to do with what God has given me. They aren't doing anyone any good sitting on my computer. Blessings, Gail

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  3. Thank you for the reminder to take time out for goal setting. I have a few days to seek the Lord afresh before writing my goals in the new year.

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  4. Thank you, Brenda. Those are some of the thoughts I have been having lately. Have a blessed new year!

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  5. Thank you, Brenda for a great post to help me focus on setting my goals for 2016. This is the year to complete my first novel ... I'm so close! Blessings!

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  6. Brenda,

    Thank you for this post.

    I'm just getting around to thinking about goals (I know, December 28 is a bit late). I came across this post on Sunday and referred to again today because the steps are different than anything else I've ever seen regarding goal setting.

    I don't yet have any concrete goals for next year beyond completing the manuscript I'm currently working on and getting it to a developmental editor for a review. I hope to have the manuscript finished by mid-January and at least have an evaluative appointment scheduled with the editor by the end of March.

    But I will be working on goals this week, so if you want to pray for anything, pray for the goal setting!

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