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Writing and Publishing

Four Reasons to Set Goals

It’s important to set goals, both for our work and for our self.

Goals move us forward

Without goals, it’s easy to drift from day to day, week to week, month to month, and year to year—and nothing really changes. One of my goals is to attend two writing conferences each year. This helps grow me as a writer and meet others in the industry.

Goals give us clarity

Goals reveal what’s important to us. Activities that aren’t relevant to our goals need to be given lower priority or even eliminated. One of my goals is to write every day.

Goals reflect our focus

Without goals, we can easily go in four directions at once, never accomplishing anything. Another of my goals is to watch less TV, specifically, I will not idly view it, and I will not begin watching any new series. This gives me more time to read, write reviews, and do other things to advance my career as a writer.

Goals facilitate success

I want to publish my books, but that won’t happen just because I wish it. I need to work at it. One critical step is to present my writing to agents and publishers, often in the form of a query. For my books, I’ve been putting this off, but last year at the Breathe Christian Writers Conference, I set a goal to query a book (or two) at this year’s event. Submitting a query will not guarantee success, but failing to do so will ensure failure.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

By Peter Lyle DeHaan

Author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, publishes books about business, customer service, the call center industry, and business and writing.