I was reflecting on some writing goals for the upcoming year and I thought I’d share them with you! Below you’ll find five ways to make 2016 your best writing year ever. Do you have specific writing or creative goals in mind? Reach out! I’d love to hear about them.
1. Plan it out! Set some specific goals…
…for what you’d like to accomplish in 2016. It can be in terms of daily/weekly practice, word count, draft completion, or publishing goals. Start where you are. “My goal is to write for 15 minutes three times a week,” or “My goal is to finish a super-rough initial draft of my memoir,” or “My goal is to write 5, 000 words a month toward my novel.”
Put it down on paper. Schedule your writing time. Do it even when you don’t feel like it. Allow yourself to have bad days and even write a LOT of crap, just to get through it.
2. Read widely and diversely.
Read magazines and blog posts, great novels and gadget manuals, read love letters and business books, children’s stories and clothing catalog descriptions. Especially read poetry, whether you like it or not. It will make your writing better and crack open your soul if you let it! Pay close attention to what inspires and moves you. Take notes and re-read your favorites in different moods. Experiment with how you, too, can apply a certain writing style in your work.
3. Nourish you mind with silence.
Spend time in silence every day, whether it’s a few fleeting minutes walking out in nature or the park, or hunkered down on the meditation cushion for an hour solid. Silence is the source of your creativity, silence is restoration from all the clamorous, inevitable, and, at times, abusive thinking. It’s the space of clarity and the ultimate source of new ideas and innovative approaches. Silence will free you from blocks, doubt and perceived limitation.
4. Nourish you body with movement.
Take breaks, wiggle about, stay hydrated. Drink lots of fresh water. As much as I love them and utilize them, caffeinated drinks are NOT hydration. Move your body by exercising vigorously at least three times a week. At the very least go on daily walks, do yoga, and stretch. Your best writing lives in the body, is hiding in the muscles and sinews, trapped in tough bone. The more you shake it out, the more powerful the writing you produce.
5. Keep learning and growing.
Take an online course or in-person workshop. Go on a writing retreat, attend a live event or book store reading. Stay engaged, connected, and inspired. Find a community of writers, join a powerful writing group or writing mastermind program.
May 2016 be YOUR best writing year ever! If you have any questions, need further resources or tips, please contact us at owlassistant@gmail.com, www.brilliantwriter.com OR www.albertflynndesilver.com.
For more writing tips and tricks check out my YouTube channel —> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUXkLV0Hmp3VZ0rDNE6aig
My upcoming events can be found here—> https://albertflynndesilver.com/classes
