The Relaxed Writer's guide to setting New Year's writing goals

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."- Epictetus

I've been working on some goals for the coming year. I hear this is a fairly common exercise at this time ... they're called resolutions, or something. So, not enormously original of me, but there you go. I found this exercise, from The Relaxed Writer, really helpful - I tend to focus on the negative (what I DON'T want). Not the best mindset, but here you can make it work for you, and achieve something useful. It's a ten-minute exercise, and I really recommend it. Michael Losier calls this exercise "Clarity Through Contrast."

"Here's how it works.

1. Take a sheet of clean paper and draw a vertical line down the middle to create two columns.

2. Label the sheet, "My Writing Life"

3. Fold the page in half.

4. Set a timer for 10 minutes. On the left-hand side, as quickly as you can, list exactly what you DON'T want your writing life to look like in the coming year.

For instance:

I don't want...

"to not have a place to write"
"to struggle to find time for my writing"
"to be so isolated"
"to keep postponing developing story ideas"

5. Keep going until the timer chimes or you've completely exhausted all possibilities. If you feel uncomfortable with all the negative statements you're making, please be patient and stick with me. Emotionally connecting to your goals will help you achieve them. (I see this time and again in my private coaching practice.) The more you can allow yourself to really feel, see and experience what you don't want, the easier you'll be able to connect with what you do want.

Please try not to edit yourself as you do this exercise. Redundancy is fine--even instructive! In this step and the next, pay attention to the themes and variations you lay out on the page. Notice where you concentrate your attention. Notice which topics appear again and again and again in different forms. If you pay close attention, the repetition will show you where you've been stuck.

6. Next, unfold the page. Use each bullet point in the left-hand column as a writing prompt. You're going to discover what you DO want by writing a specific, clear intention for yourself. How? Just rewrite each negative statement in the left-hand column into a positive one.
For instance:

I want...

"to have a dedicated space to write"
"to create a consistent, sustainable writing schedule"
"to refresh my network with new colleagues and writing peers"
"to send X new queries each week"
Voila! You've got marching orders for the new year--a perfect starting point to help you make good decisions and take the steps necessary to clear your internal and external environment of unneeded clutter.

Enjoy the process."

From Marla's website:

Marla Beck coaches mid-career literary and freelance writers to finish their books and create more fulfilling creative and professional writing careers. Check out her free resources for writers here and read The Relaxed Writer here.

As a very un-relaxed writer, I visit it often and find it hugely helpful!