1) Set a Reading Goal

One of the most important parts of writing is reading. It’s one of the best ways to learn about technique, style, and the ins and outs of your specific book genre. So, this year, set yourself a reading goal! Make it official by setting up a Goodreads account (if you don’t already have one). Goodreads allows you to set a reading goal and track your progress. It even gives you suggestions based on your previous reads and books you’ve marked as ‘read’. Make sure you plan ahead too. You don’t want to finish a book and sit around for a few days twiddling your thumbs over what to read next. Try to plan your reads two or three books ahead of yourself so that you’re never left idle.

2) Make time for writing/Finishing your book

Just as important as setting a reading goal, you’ll also need set a writing goal. Whether you’re currently writing a novel, between books, or even an active blog writer, you need to stay active with your craft. Start by setting yourself a goal for the year. For example, your goal could be to finish your book by the end of the year. Or your goal could be to write a certain number of short stories or blog posts. Next, make yourself a calendar. Set aside specific nights to write and jot down your goal for each session. Make yourself weekly plans and monthly plans. What do you want to have finished by the end of week one? By the end of the first month? Ultimately, if you stay strict to your plan, you’ll have your yearly writing goal accomplished.

3) Find an agent/publisher

If you’re someone who has already finished your book and is starting to look for an agent or publisher, make that your New Year’s Resolution. Keep writing, but also set aside time each week to devote to searching for a literary agent or a publisher. Make a weekly or monthly goal of how many agents you’d like to contact in that period.

4) Improve weak spot(s)

We all have our weaknesses as writers. Some of us are bad at dialogue, others struggle to set a scene. This is the year to work on your writing problem-area. For part of your writing time, do some exercises that target those problem areas. And when you’re reading, notice what other writers do that you don’t. If you’re mindful of your problem-area throughout the year and actively doing research and exercises to improve, by the end of the year you’ll have improved drastically.

5) Meet other Authors/Join a Writing Workshop

This is the year to push yourself out of your comfort zone, so set a goal of joining a workshop class. They’re easy to find in your local area with a little Google magic, and it’s a fantastic way to meet people with similar interests, get some fresh insight on your writing, and learn new techniques.

6) Start a blog

Even if you’re not necessarily a blogger, starting a blog is such a helpful tool for up-and-coming writers. Write about your day, things you’re passionate about, or even books you’re reading. Create social media platforms and link it to your blog to build a following. The combination of these tools shows potential publishers that you’re a marketable client.

7) Learn on the daily

Writing is partly about knowledge. The more you know, the more you can write about. You never know when the opportunity will come to sprinkle in a juicy factoid. So set yourself a goal to learn something new every single day. Not only will it make you a better writer, but it will also make you a better person.

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1. You’re too focused on length

Whether you’re the type of person who struggles to get to the 50 page mark or the type who could easily write 200,000 words about wallpaper, length anxiety can significantly slow down the writing process. Is my book too short? Too long? Maybe it should be long where it’s short and short where it’s long?

During the writing process, if you’re continuously thinking about length, it could slow you down and significantly stifle your creativity. Yes, there are genre-specific suggestions on word-count, but there are also exceptions to every rule. For example, the ideal YA word count is around 60,000, but The Order of the Phoenix clocks in at 257,000. That’s over four times the suggested length, and yet it’s one of the best-selling books of all time.  Think quality over quantity.

When your book is finished and you’re reviewing, that’s when you address its length. Otherwise, let it be.

2. You feel like you need the whole story figured out

You know the saying: take it one day at a time. If you’re always looking ahead and worried about where things are going, you forget to focus on the here and now.

Although it may be helpful to have an outline or a general idea of where your story is going, the truth is you won’t know where it’s going until you write it. If you’re creating a scene and you keep thinking about where the story is headed, that lack of focus will show in your writing.

Just write. Freely, without fear.

Once your story is more concrete, you can always revisit scenes and decide whether they’re still important to your book. At that point, if the scene in question isn’t supporting your story’s direction, you can work on editing or cutting it out entirely.

Ultimately, if you box yourself in by refusing to deviate from your outline, you’re going to miss out on a lot of good ideas.

3. You don’t know how to start

Whether it’s a new scene or the opening line of your manuscript, there can be a lot of pressure for a strong start. If you spend hours on an opening line instead of spending that time writing, you’re not doing your book any favors.

Use a line as a placeholder–something that resembles what you want the overall theme of the beginning to be. This can be anything at all, as long as it gets you past that initial opening line so your creativity can flow freely.Revisit that line later, once you get in the groove. Often, writing the scene will end up leading you to that missing line.

If you’re really stuck and need to spark some inspiration, reading is the key. Check out some of the top-rated books in your genre or even do some research on the best opening lines for novels. We’re not encouraging plagiarization, but seeing examples may lead you to your own powerful opener and  alleviate some pressure. Knowing how the greats have started scenes may help you realize it’s less complicated than you think.

4. You suffer from perfectionism

Perfectionism, if too compulsive, can be the death of creativity. If you’re rewriting the same sentence four times or spending half an hour googling synonyms for the word ‘thing’, hate to say it, but stop (halt, cease, conclude, terminate.. you get the idea).

Editing as you go can kill your confidence. You’ll be less likely to experiment, less likely to be bold, and less likely to try new things. It’s that bold instinct that often leads to the greatest writing.

The characters in your book come from you. They’re a part of you, yet they also take on a life of their own. A good story is entirely driven by the characters and your pure instincts tell you where the characters are taking the story next. If you become too much of a perfectionist, your sense of doubt may drown out that voice telling you where to go.

The best advice: keep your writing and editing completely separate. Wait until you’ve finished your book before you go back and edit. This way you aren’t stifling your instincts and your story flows where it is naturally meant to go. And don’t be afraid to write poorly–every great writer in history has. Take a lesson from David Bowie- you’re under pressure. Let yourself out.

5. You’re stuck

This is another huge reason writers will drift away from their work. Well, ‘drift’ may be putting it mildly- more like run screaming.

Maybe you’ve come to a scene that’s tough to write. Maybe you don’t really know where the story goes next. Maybe you’ve written yourself into a corner and can’t pull a Hamilton and write your way out.

Write anyway.

Even if you don’t want to, even if you hate it, even if it makes you feel lost and stressed and scared…do it anyway. If you stick with it, you may end up with four or five drafts you hate, but eventually you’ll write one that you love.

Another way to help dig yourself out of this hole is to look for inspiration elsewhere. Take a walk, go to a coffee shop- listen, see, touch, taste, smell- experience the world a bit and you may find something that sparks a new idea.

Reach out to a friend or editor. Letting people read your work before it’s finished can feel like you’re letting them see you naked, but it can really help to have a second set of eyes. Brainstorming sessions are a great way to get the creative juices flowing again.

6. You’re not making time for it

Maybe you just got a new job. Maybe you’re really into Netflix binging right now. But common sense says this- you’ll never finish your book if you’re not making time for it.

No one is advocating that you drop everything in your life and become a hermit. But,by the end of a long day, when there’s nothing you want to do more than go to bed- don’t. Stay up an hour later than normal and write. Or get up an hour earlier the next morning.

If you’re not actively making your book a part of your schedule, it’s easy to forget or put it off for another day- a day that may never come. All the greats have made the mistakes, sacrifices, and suffered from sleepless nights. It’s part of the badge you earn for being a writer.  You CAN finish your book…don’t let a few road bumps stop you.

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Shiny New Idea Syndrome (noun):

A gift as much as a curse, shiny new idea syndrome is a common illness throughout the writing community. If you suffer from this affliction, you can count yourself lucky in some respects. There are great writers who sit awake at night praying for a good idea, whereas you’re sitting on your living room floor drowning in piles of papers filled with ideas.

Like a child with a new toy, your attention span can be fickle, making it hard to get anything done.

Why you shouldn’t start that new idea

There’s always going to be a new idea.

If you’re one of those creative souls who is like a living, breathing idea factory, there’s never going to be an end. It may feel right to pick up that new idea that you’re dying to work on, but you’ll lose steam as soon as the next one comes along and you’ll never follow through with any project unless you can find a cure for yourself.  

How to get clean

1. Have self control

Shiny New Idea Syndrome is a bit like an addiction. You’ll think of an idea and you’ll tell yourself- Well, maybe just one scene. While it’s fresh in my mind. The next thing you know, you’re up until 4:00 A.M. looking up knife wounds and conspiracy theories on google in a body fueled by Skittles and Red Bull.

You need to have some serious discipline to break this cycle. Make this your mantra: I have to finish this book before I start another. No exceptions. Not only will that help you stay on task, but the excitement you have for your next project will motivate you to finish your current one sooner.

2. Find one specific place to store new ideas.

Whether it’s an app on your phone or a notebook you carry everywhere, being organized will help you feel less overwhelmed. It’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in new ideas when they’re on so many different platforms. Keeping ideas organized will allow you to keep your head above water, knowing they’re right there when you need them.

It’s also helpful to break ideas into categories. Organize your ideas bythose most fleshed-out to those that need developed to ideas that are simply passing musings or lines. Use the smaller ideas as brainstorming tools  if you’re stuck on your current project.

3. Set goals & hold yourself accountable.

When it comes to combating this addiction, you need to set distinct goals stay on track. Give yourself two weeks per chapter. Put it in your calendar. Efficient scheduling forces you to remain focused on the project at hand instead of getting distracted.

Some people don’t have enough willpower to do this on their own. If that’s you, don’t feel bad. After all, most of us have already abandoned our New Year’s Resolutions, so we have no room to talk.

If that’s the case, it may be helpful to bring in a person to hold you accountable. Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or even an editor, knowing someone else is invested in your project will keep you on task. Just like an addiction, if you can’t get better on your own there’s always the intervention approach.

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