Writing Goals: 2021 [Part 2] — Assessing Where You Are
By: Scott Myers
Tags: Creative Writing, Writing, Productivity, Fiction, Screenwriting

Over the next two weeks, a 10-part series for writers to consider what we did in 2020 and will do in 2021.

This series of daily posts, starting yesterday and going through next Friday (M-F), is not about resolutions which we make on December 31 and break by January 30… or sooner. This is not about wish lists and ephemeral fantasies. This is about each of us committing ourselves to ply the craft of writing day after day, to tell stories only we can tell, and to end up with a tangible product in our hand — a completed manuscript.

Then start on another story.

Writing is hard. It just is. It’s a lonely occupation, far too often we get lost along the way, we have to fight off constant Inner Voices of Negativity, and the competition is stupid insane. In the face of that I guess what I’m hoping for in this effort is to enlist the entirety of the Go Into The Story community to create a sum greater than the parts, a spirit of I Can Do That which grows and grows, and pours out into each of our little creative cups, feeding our souls and fueling our persistence.

Hence, 10 posts. First and foremost, I believe the best way to identify simple, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely writing goals is to do a thorough job of self-examination, which is what we are doing this week, buttressed by some good, old-fashioned inspiration, which is what is on the docket for next week. But there’s also this:

Each day I’m here reaching out to you is an opportunity.

You may not be with us on Day 1. You may not catch up to us by Day 5. Perhaps it may take you until Day 10. But make no mistake: This is a Herald’s Call. The only way you are going to become a writer is by being a writer. And the best way to be a writer is to make goals… and meet the hell out of them.

If you missed the Day 1 post, you can catch that here.

Today: Assessing Where You Are

We started yesterday by looking back on what we accomplished in 2020. That part of the process is practical, aggregating our significant events and tangible achievements in the previous twelve months. Today, we assess where we are as writers. This aspect of the process is more emotional, even spiritual.

Get curious about your Creative Self. Ask one or more of these questions:

Is this where I want to be as a writer?

Am I writing what I want to be writing?

What do I want to write?

What do I need to write?

Is there a particular story I have surfaced about which I am particularly passionate?

Has something important happened in my life this year which has shifted my writing perspective?

Am I in touch with my Creative Self?

What can I do to be a better writer?

How about you? Where are you as a writer? How would you assess where your Creative Self is just now? If it’s unclear, a piece of advice: Go into a room, shut the door, turn off all electronic conveyances, and ask yourself some of those questions noted above. What is your Creative Self calling you to do as a writer?

I encourage you to share your thoughts and impressions in comments. And I put out a special invitation to those of you who are just starting on your writing adventure. Even if you have just recently discovered screenwriting or are contemplating for the first time giving expression to your creative impulses, stake that claim here today.

Tomorrow, we switch perspectives, instead of looking back at the past, then here today at the present, we extend our view toward the future… not just 2021, but beyond… by asking this simple question: Where do you want to be as a writer?

As for me, my goal is to be done with my book The Protagonist’s Journey by the end of the 1st quarter 2021. Then I’ve got a novel I’ve been developing I plan to write next.

How about you?