Worksheet Action Step(s):

Action Step #1 – Your writing schedule:

Brainstorm and assess your long-term and short-term writing goals

It’s time to establish your writing goals and expectations while writing each scene in your outline.

You probably have a long-term goal in mind of when you hope to finish – but what kind of daily and weekly (short-term) goals do you want to accomplish? Because it’s these daily and weekly goals that will help you reach your long-term goal of finishing your draft, fast.

Here’s where you must organize your goals to make sure you know exactly what you want and how you’re going to get there.

Reminder: Be honest with yourself when setting your goals – because this next part will require a delicate balance – because you do not want to set your goals too low (or outside the scope of life’s realities).

  ❓ While taking your free time into account, when do you want to finish your draft?
    Is it a specific number of days from your writing start date? A specific calendar date? Explain your long-term goal below.

  ❓ Based on your long-term goal to finish your draft, how many scenes would you have to write every week to accomplish that long-term goal (completion date)?
    e.g. If your Scene Outline consists of 62 scenes, and your goal is 90 days(13 weeks), you’d need to write 5 scenes per week. [62 scenes ÷ 13 weeks (90 days) = 5 scenes per week]

  ❓ Based on your weekly writing results above (required scenes per week), roughly how many days per week would you need to actually write those scenes? And how many hours per day?
    Breaking down and knowing these figures will help you develop your scheduled writing routine (weekly, daily, hourly, etc.). [5 scenes per week = 1 scene per day means writing a scene at least 5 days each week. ]

  ❓ What would be a reasonable weekly writing goal for you regardless of life’s interruptions?
    Is it 3 or 4 completed scenes per week? Is it a specific word count like 1,000 words per day? Is it just to write new words on the page each day of the week? Explain your weekly goal below.

  ❓ What would be a reasonable reward for you reaching your weekly writing goal?
    It helps to recognize your progress – so small rewards can help you appreciate your weekly accomplishments. Explain your potential weekly rewards below. [Maybe you go fishing when you’ve reached your goal? Maybe it’s watching that new movie or episodes you’ve got on your Watchlists?]

  ❓ What would be a reasonable daily writing goal?
    Is it to write 1 scene per day? Is it a specific word count? Is it just to write new words on the page on your committed days? Explain your daily goal below.

  ❓ What would be a reasonable reward for you reaching your daily writing goal?
    It helps to recognize your progress and small rewards can help you appreciate your daily accomplishments. Explain your potential daily rewards below. [Maybe you can have that dessert once your daily writing goal is achieved? Maybe it’s a drink of some kind? Maybe it’s watching television?]

Action Step #2 – Your writing schedule:

Create your Writing Schedule inside and choose the specific days and times that you will write your draft

Now that you’ve brainstormed your writing goals and considered the required daily and weekly commitments, you must choose the specific days and times that you will actually write your draft inside your long-term goal (completion date).

Also, you’ll want to take a second look at your goals and confirm you’ll be able to reach them – because if the goals seem unrealistic based on the results of Action Step #1, then give yourself more time to write your draft because the most important goal is to keep moving forward and actually finish.

  ❓ Create your Writing Schedule inside a calendar on your smartphone, laptop or online calendar software, or hard copy planner
    You may find that your Writing Schedule evolves as you begin actually writing your draft – so please remember to permit room for growth while pushing yourself in creative yet challenging ways. Do what makes sense, but only you know yourself best. Trust yourself. 🙂