Help! I Can't Write - How to Set Writing Goals

If you're a freelance writer, you probably do it because you love writing, but you also want to get paid to write. When you start out, one of the hardest things is setting aside the time you need to write, yet that's the only way to have a successful writing career. Here are three ways to make sure that you find the time you need to get your freelancing career off the ground.

Writing – Just Do It

The most important thing about writing is to do it. Many published writers suggest that a writer should write every single day. There are several reasons for this. One is that the more you write, the more you sharpen your writing skills. This makes your writing better and increases the chances for you to get paid and get published.

So how do you find that time, especially if you are running the rest of your life and your family's life as well? Here are some suggestions.

Finding Time to Write

If you get up early, consider building in some time to write at the start of the day before you start the daily routine of showers, breakfasts and getting to school and work.

If you have children at home, then your best times for writing will be during nap time or after bedtime in the evening. It might be tempting to relax and watch a movie, but you may need to make some sacrifices on your way to a successful freelance writing career.

If you have a day job, then you've got the evenings and weekends to write. If a writing deadline is pressing, you can even write during your lunch hour.

At the start of your writing career the most important thing is that you make some time to write. How long that time is doesn't really matter.

Set a Goal for Writing

Another way to approach the issue of finding writing time is to set a goal for your writing. You may be writing an article, short story, novel or blog post, but you will have an idea of your deadline for completing the task. This makes it easy to work out how much you need to write each day and what you need to do each time you sit down to write.

Here's an example. If I know that I need to write ten articles or 500 words each by the end of the week, then that's a total of 5,000 words. I don't want to write at the weekends, which means I need to write 1,000 words a day to achieve my goal. Having a measurable, fixed goal such as a number of words to write works well for some writers.

If your writing project is a novel, then you might take a different approach. Suppose you have an outline of your story. You might decide that this is the week to build the backstory of one of the main characters. You can work on this project every day until you have achieved your goal.

The Writing Routine

Once you have set your goal for writing, the most important thing is to stick to it. Don't allow distractions. When you are writing you should not be doing housework, watching a soap or taking phone calls. Just write. Do it every day and it will soon become part of your routine. You will then be well on the way to getting published and getting paid for your writing.

~Sharon Hurley Hall

Sharon Hurley Hall has worked as a writer and journalist for 20 years and now freelances successfully, working from home as a ghostwriter and web content writer. She is passionate about writing and has taught and mentored several people to help them develop successful freelance writing careers.