How Writers Can Reach Their Goals in 2026: A Faithful, Practical Approach

From Edie: Learn how writers can reach their goals in 2026 through faith-filled planning, practical habits, and realistic steps that support long-term growth and consistency.

How Writers Can Reach Their Goals in 2026: A Faithful, Practical Approach

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

And we’re off. New Year's Day has just passed, and a brand-new year stretches ahead of us. All our dreams, hopes, and plans are possible in the new year. What would you like to happen in your life most this year? Did you make resolutions this year? Or are you like me, you have so many plans already on your plate that you don’t have room for anymore.

Instead of annual resolutions, which are great, I shoot for daily ones. They’re hard enough for me to work through. And the self-disappointment I feel when on January 11, I inevitably realize I’m horribly behind on my resolution isn’t as bad. Instead of scrapping the whole resolution for the year, I make little tweaks.

But there are times when we need to take some time to pause and consider how our lives, our writing, etc., are going, and to determine if we should make any adjustments. A new month, a new quarter, birthdays, and new years are great markers to remind us to set aside some time to assess.

3 Steps to Faithful Productivity for Writers in 2026 

1. Take from the past.

There’s an old adage, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Often, we treat a new year like a total reset. (I should know; I’ve seen a lot of new years.) 

In a new year, or anytime you want to take stock of your life, it’s just as important to look back as it is to look forward. What have you learned this past year? What routines and habits have you already established that are helpful and you’d like to keep in place?

Now is a good time to get out those notes from any writing conferences, podcasts, or books you attended or read this year. Maybe you ordered their tapes. I know many writers have special craft books (Strunk and White) they read each year. What can you do to juice up your motivation to move up to the next level?

2. Prepare for the future.

After looking back, it’s time to look ahead. What parts of your life do you want to change? For this, I caution you to be conservative. You’re more likely to successfully change a few things than to make a bunch of changes.

First, I recommend finding one or two places in your life you want to adjust. It could be your health, spending more time with family, getting deeper in your walk with God, or growing in your writing? What is most important to improve, or where are you in a position to start a new habit? Remember, you’ll need to give it time to become a habit you’ll continue doing.

After choosing what you want to change, determine one to three main things in those areas of your life you want to improve. Do you want to find more time in the day to write? To set aside Saturdays or Saturday afternoons? To start leaving the house and going to the library or coffee house for a few hours? To collect your poems into a chapbook? Or to learn a new writing program?

Then, once you’ve chosen the places you want to improve, set some goals. It’s hard to lose weight or to look better. That can mean different things to different people. Setting aside thirty minutes to walk and cutting your bread into smaller portions, however, are things that are measurable and can be put into action. Give yourself goals that are doable, measurable, and set deadlines. (I know. Saying ‘deadline’ to writers might trigger a nervous twitch.)

3. Be open to the journey.

Writing, like most things in life, is a journey (I use that a lot, don’t I?) It’s not a one-and-done; it’s a habit you create. The more you write, the more you learn and grow in your writing. And the more opportunities you’ll have. Whether you write to be published (Hmm. That would make a great title for a writer’s conference.) or just as a hobby, the longer you stay at it the more developed your work becomes.

But the longer you stay at it, however, the more likely there will come times when the joy is replaced with staleness. The excitement of picking up the pen or tickling the keyboard is no longer there. And let’s face it, writing often brings rejection. From agents, editors, and sometimes, family.

But if writing is our calling, our passion, it isn’t an option. It’s what we have to do. And after the rejection and the hurt, (And ice cream or a call to our accountability buddy.) we pick up the pen or keyboard and start again. Because a no is never permanent, unless we let it be.

None of us knows what’s around the next corner, over the next hill. Especially if we have Christ on the journey with us. In that case, we do know that nothing can stop us from reaching ‘His’ goals. Even if we have to plan for them.

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How Writers Can Reach Their Goals in 2026: A Faithful, Practical Approach from @TimSuddeth on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Tim Suddeth is a stay-at-home dad and butler for his wonderful, adult son with autism. He has written numerous blogs posts, short stories, and three novels waiting for publication. He is a frequent attendee at writers conferences, including the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and a member of Word Weavers and ACFW. He lives near Greenville, SC where he shares a house with a bossy Shorky and three too-curious Persians. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter, as well as at www.timingreenville.com and www.openingamystery.com.