From Edie: Learn how to turn your writing dream into a completed manuscript by setting clear, measurable goals. This practical guide shows writers how to break big projects into achievable daily word counts, stay accountable, and build the momentum needed to finish their book with confidence.
How Writers Can Turn Their Dream Into a Finished Manuscript: The Power of Measurable Writing Goals
by Ginny Cruz, MPA, PT
You carry a dream of writing. Maybe it's a memoir, a devotional, or a novel. No matter the size of your manuscript, if you're going to move from a dream to a completed writing project, you need goals.
Goals Hold You Accountable
One of the earliest things I learned in my physical therapy training was how to write measurable goals. Imagine a patient presenting to the clinic with limited range of motion in their knees. My job is to determine how to address that deficit. First, I have to measure the current range of motion. Second, I write a measurable goal, such as "increase the range of motion of both knees to 135 degrees."
Again, goals must be measurable. If they aren't objectively measurable (using numbers), they are not goals. For example, if you want to write a 300-word devotion, a goal could be "write fifty words a day for six days." Do you see how that goal gives you something concrete to aim for? Now you can create a plan to set aside time each day to sit at your computer and write fifty words. At the end of the six days, you've finished your 300-word devotion. If you haven’t written 300 words, then you haven't met the goal.
Taking a big dream and dividing the project into smaller daily word counts makes it feel achievable and lessens the pressure. If you want to write a larger project, use the same formula. You may aim for 60,000 words. If you can write on three days a week and your manuscript is due in twelve weeks, how many words do you need to write each day? My goal would be "write 1667 words a day for 36 days."
When you visualize your dream in numerical form, it becomes easier to achieve.
A Word of Caution
Dreams are comfortable. Goals are not because they hold you to a measurement. You met it or you didn't. A dream can remain a dream for your entire life if you want. For example, since I was a young adult, I dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I've read books written by folks who hiked it, and traveled vicariously along on social media as others completed the 2,198.4-mile trek that extends from Springer Mountain in Georgia all the way to Mount Katahdin (formerly Mount Washington) in Maine. However, my dream will remain a dream because I have never taken the time to write measurable goals and do the work to achieve them.
Don’t let that be your story when it comes to the writing dream you nurture. Get out a blank piece of paper and write down your project idea. Then figure out how many words a day you can write and how long it’ll take to complete the first draft. Write down your measurable goals.
I also suggest posting them near your work area so you see them daily. Finally, share your goals with a trusted friend, your spouse, or a writing accountability partner. When you hold yourself accountable for meeting your goals, it ensures a greater chance of success.
Please sit down and do it today. As you accomplish those daily word counts, your motivation to finish gains momentum. Get started now and write your manuscript.
And when you have those days where you fail to meet your count (and we all do), dust yourself off and get back to it tomorrow. Don’t stop, and please don’t beat yourself up when life gets in the way. Restart and press forward.
What is one measurable goal you could write right now?
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