For many of us, creative writing is an escape from the drudgery of the corporate world. We bask in whatever time we can spend exercising complete control over our output, avoiding spreadsheets, buzzwords, and silly acronyms. But…if we’re serious about our writing goals and plan to develop our writing into a business (freelance or books), then a bit of corporate hooey can be helpful.
In a post on Writers in the Storm, Ellen Buikema says SMART goals can help you achieve your aims. In corporate jargon, SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based. In the real world, these terms mean pretty much what you’d think. You should identify goals that are small enough to attain, but still supportive of your overall plan, and you should be able to track your progress over time, with a deadline.
If your goal is to write a first draft of a novel, your SMART goal might be “Finish one chapter per week by writing 700 words per day, five days a week, for a total of 40 weeks.” This goal is specific and probably achievable, if you are able to set aside the time. Your 700/day goal is relevant to your bigger goal of finishing a novel. You can easily measure whether you’ve done your daily writing and you’ve set a deadline for 40 weeks.
Buikema urges you to write your goals down and share them with an accountability buddy. Importantly, you should celebrate your successes. Set some milestones along the way and give yourself a treat when you hits your marks!
