Writing Goals Aren’t Just Important-They Are Invaluable

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Film, novel, screenwriting, TV writing, writers life, Writing, writing advice, writing goals, writing tips

Good morning writers,

I hope you are amazing!

I also hope that you are writing down your writing goals for the week ahead. I find that when I have my plans or goals written out in a list I tend to stick to them and actually make them much more than when I say, “I’ll write whatever whenever I have time.”

That’s why for me #NaNoWriMo is so great. I always get an entire novel drafted. It pushes me to stick to daily word count goals.

Here are some quick and easy tips to make those writing goals work for you so you will accomplish more and get that draft done faster.

1. Make daily goals-this can be word count or page count or scenes, whatever you need. Write them down somewhere that you can see them.
2. Get an accountability partner to check in with. You don’t have to check-in everyday-there are no rules but whatever you want just check-in.
3. Make the goals fun. Maybe you meet with your partner at a coffee shop every day for an hour, maybe you chat on the phone or via social media. Mix it up and have fun.
4. Cross them off as you do them-this is like getting a star in school-just feels good.

Now for some don’ts.

1. Don’t edit your writing as you go
2. Don’t compare yourself to other writers you see on social media
3. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make the daily goal–today is a new day.

 

I hope this is helpful and that you all have a very productive week!!

BONUS for reading. I have created a writers GOAL sheet JUST for you and it’s FREE!!!

You can get it here, make as many copies as you want, hang it up so you can see it and check off those goals as you make them! 

Happy Writing!

XO

Stephanie

BTW I’m taking a holiday with my husband for our first wedding anniversary AND we are moving apartments this month so I may post less than normal but you can find me on social media and I hope you join the STORY CONCIERGE FB group!

The Importance of Writing Goals for Writers

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dreams, goal setting, goals, making your goals, screenwriting, setting goals, Writing, writing community, writing goals, writing tips

Good Morning Writers! 

Happy Monday, happy new week and new month coming soon!

I hate summer but I love August because it means that fall is coming-even though, August is always one of the hottest months of the year but there is hope. And HOPE is something that I can build my days around.

This brings me to goals and why they are so important.

Let’s use the example of summer and fall.

What is my goal? To be cooler and enjoy cooler days? Sadly, we are in summer so I can’t do anything about the weather, but I can have the goal to make the best out of it. Go to an air-conditioned coffee shop once a day, to hit the gym, go to a mall–anything to reach the goal of being cooler.

The point is that I can take small steps to reach that goal of cooling off.

So if your goal is to be Quentin Tarantino and have 9 films out? or 10–I think he once said that his goal is to do 10 and then stop. If this is your goal but you don’t have a screenplay finished, an agent, and don’t live in Los Angeles then you have to start making those goals smaller. Keep the big dream there, but make smaller more reachable goals.

1. You need to move to Los Angeles–or want to–you should for anything in the film industry–but that’s another kettle of fish. You want to move here, so your goal could be saving money every week into a special bank account just for your big move.
2. You want an agent? Your goal could be to research one agent every week while you are building a submission list. Or finding out which screenwriting conferences have agent guests and pitch sessions.
3. You want to have 9+ films made and on the big screen? Well your immediate goal is to finish the one in front of you and how you do that is write every day. Even if just 10 minutes.

See how this works?

Dreams and goals are different.

Dreams are what we aspire to and goals are how we get there. 

If you are a novelist and you want a bestselling novel with a movie deal–you need to make daily goals to reach that. What are you doing today to make that happen?

Some things you can do.

1. Write every day.
2.  Share your work with your crit group.
3. Submit to agents.

So your weekly goal can be, write for 1 hr a day, share 5 pages with my critique group, and research or send queries (only on finished polished work) to agents.

It’s important to have these goals to keep us grounded in our bigger dreams!

I know that you can do it.

One way that I have found useful for the last 12 years is having someone to keep me accountable. Some programs call it an accountability buddy, someone you check in with daily. And some just do it in groups. However you choose to do it, just find someone to check in with.

Drop in the comments below on how you are going to work on your goals this week?

I’ll tell you mine are to write for 30 minutes a day this week. I have a crazy busy workload and have massive videos to shoot so realistically more than 30 minutes isn’t going to happen, but I will put in 30 minutes.

Tell me your plan!!

And let’s have an amazing week!! 

XO~ Stephanie

https://www.judaniebean.com/

https://www.youtube.com/stephaniebourbon

Writing Goals for the Week?

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writers life, Writing, writing goals, writing tips

I actually have a pretty bad cold so I’m not going to write a long blog today. Sorry but please tell me, what are your writing goals for this last week of June??

www.judaniebean.com

www.youtube.com/stephaniebourbon

Let’s Take Action on Your Writing Goals

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author, Film, goals, novel, novel revisions, query letters, screenwriting, Television, writers life, Writing, writing goals, writing tips

Another week and the year is almost half over! 

OMG; how did that even happen?

What?

No way.

In January you may have written down your goals for the year. Get an agent, finish your revisions, get a book deal, get a movie deal, speak at a conference, pay off debts, lose 20lbs, etc and then it’s the 3rd week of June and NONE of that has happened, and you feel like complete and total shit!

This is NORMAL

We always write more goals that we can possibly make so don’t worry, the important thing is that you have these goals. It’s okay if you don’t reach them.

For example. I was sure that I would have signed with a new agent by now. I started sending my novel out again and the rejections have come in. NOW the goal is to revise the book so it’s much stronger and then send it out again next year. It’s disappointing but it is what it is. We have a choice in life to either let the setbacks—or nonreaching of goals–destroy us or move on. Let’s move on.

What are your goals for the next 6 months? July-Dec 31, 2019?

Do you want to finish that revision? Write a new novel? Have a spec written? Have your pilot read by producers? Submitted to several agents?

Be specific and WRITE THEM DOWN!

Then, go deeper. 

What will prevent you from reaching these goals? 

What will help you reach them? 

What will you cut out of your life in order for it to happen?

I find that the more clear I am on goals the better chance I have at making them.

I know that you can do it too.

It takes work, but that’s okay.

I was at a WW meeting yesterday and the leader was talking about getting derailed from weight loss goals and how we have a choice to get back on the path or continue down the wrong way. She used this analogy. If you are in your car and you make a wrong turn, do you continue or do you turn around and get back on the right way? You know the answer, we all do.

I have lost 28 lbs this year. I wanted to have lost 50 by now. I’m a size 6 again and I feel great but that number nags at me. I focus on that instead of celebrating my loss. I have gone down 2 sizes. This is a huge accomplishment.

I also have a couple revise and resubmits for my novel and a couple requests, once it’s revised and yet my brain focuses on the fact that it’s 2019 and my book is still not signed, sold or delivered. Instead, I need to celebrate that I’m getting great feedback and I now have a plan.

See how that works?

I know you can do it. I’m asking you to take action and write out your writing goals for this week, this month, next month, and through the end of the year. What will help you get there, and what will possibly distract you?

TRUST ME. This will help you.

I hope that you all have an amazing week. 

Please find me on YouTube HERE

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xo Stephanie

Writing Goals for the Week June 10th

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writers life, Writing, writing goals, writing tips

Writing Goals for the Week of June 3

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SCBWI, Writer, writers life, Writing, writing conferences, writing goals, writing tips

What are your writing goals this week?

I find that writing my goals down really helps me stick to them. Especially if I post on social media!

How about you?

What are you up to this week?

I’m launching my YouTube channel this Wed—you can check it out HERE and subscribe.

I’m also working on course content for my new course-sign up HERE to become a Judanie Bean VIP to get the latest information and FREEBIES as they role out.

AND, I’m off to Orlando for an SCBWI writers’ conference at Disney World which is going to be a great networking event, craft workshop and all around fun. I can’t wait.

Have a super week!!

Stephanie XO

 

Shooting Videos FOR WRITERS

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Film, novel, Story, story concierge, storytelling, Television, writers life, Writing, writing community, writing conferences, writing goals, writing tips

Happy Friday writers!!!

Just a quick hello to announce that I have shot the first batch of videos for my new YouTube channel launching next week!

I hope you will subscribe, get involved in the conversation and share with friends!

www.youtube.com/stephaniebourbon

and please sign up for my VIP list to find out how you could win a scholarship worth over $1000 and get a FREE seat in my upcoming course, or win a gift certificate to an amazing writing course, as well as other FREEBIES just for you!

www.judaniebean.com 

As always, happy writing!

xo 

Writing Goals for the Week?

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dialogue, Film, goals, novel, Story, story concierge, storytelling, Television, TV writing, writers life, Writing, writing community, writing dialogue, writing goals, writing tips

 

Happy first day of the new week—because yesterday was a holiday—I hope you did something fun.

My husband and I went to see the new Ryan Reynolds movie—Detective Pikachu and while we totally enjoyed it, I found myself wondering why I didn’t really care about the characters, especially the main character.

Did you see it? What did you think?

We also watched all of DEAD TO ME—and that was brilliant in every way.

The characters were so well developed. There was no telling-everything we found out we did in the right way-they ever used flashbacks effectively. Every episode ended with what I call a page turner (even in TV shows)—it made us binge instead of waiting for the next day. The dialogue was all perfect.

***THIS IS A SHOW TO WATCH TO LEARN craft of storytelling. I can’t recommend it enough.

***Warning if the F word offends you, then it’s probably not the show for you though.

Have you seen it?

So, I’m a day late in posting my goal post for the week-which usually I put out on Mondays. But, since I took most of the day off to recharge I figured that a lot of you did as well.

Now, it’s time to write down those goals!!!

Happy writing!!!

Please subscribe, share here and on social media.

For more on writing, news, tips, and tricks you can find me here!

www.judaniebean.com

www.youtube.com/stephaniebourbon

Join the STORY CONCIERGE FB GROUP 

XO Stephanie

What Are Your Writing Goals?

Tags

creative consulting, revising, story concierge, storytelling, writers life, Writing, writing goals, writing tips

 

Hi Writers! Happy Monday. 

So what are your writing goals this week?

If you write them down you are more likely to reach them!

You can comment here, or join us in the Story Concierge FB group, or with your critique group, in your journal–however you want to do it.

MINE ARE:

1. Writing in the YA every day this week
2. Revisions in said novel
3. Working on the worksheets for my online courses

 

Okay, your turn!

www.judaniebean.com SIGN UP to be a VIP and get FREEBIES

and SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel–videos FULL of FREE content for all creative writers starting NEXT MONTH!

Tuesday Tips–This Week (Writing) Conference Conversations

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Novels, screenwriting, TV writing, writers life, Writing, writing conferences, writing goals, writing tips

Happy Tuesday Writers!

Here are some quick tips for conversations at conferences. It can be overwhelming talking to people you don’t know and some people aren’t great at small talk. It’s exhausting for everyone–even us extroverts. Trust me, it is. We just don’t struggle as much while doing in, but at the end of the day sometimes our room, a glass of wine and TV or a good book as all we want, crave and need. 

1. When asked about YOU, instead of telling your life story, your boyfriend/girlfriend, breakups, life’s story, tell them about your writing.                                                        Example. “Hi, I’m Stephanie, I’m a writer from SoCal focusing on YA at the moment and looking for a new agent. How about you?”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Here’s where you might say, “I’m from Minnesota and I am writing MG now but I used to be a reporter.” or whatever.                                                                                         You wouldn’t say. “I wish I lived in CA, it’s so cold in Minnesota, and my boyfriend always says that I complain too much but really? I hate snow.” etc.. it’s best to keep it professional unless there is a natural lead-in.                                                                 See the difference? If the person you just met is talking about something you have common ground with like they have a dog and you love dogs or have one, and or they went to the same college as you, or got married on the same island in Hawaii as you did, or they dream of climbing Mt. Everest and so do you,–that is when you can easily make small talk. It will flow because you are just being you, but if that’s not your thing–just engage about your writing (without pitching-unless asked)
2. Be confident. When someone asks you “why are you here? What do you write?” etc.. BE CONFIDENT. Don’t ever apologize or cut yourself down. Trust me, I hear these things a lot. Example. “I hope to be a writer someday. I never wrote anything. I’m not published. I just started writing. I love to read. I suck at grammar. I hope to get an agent if I get better. This is my first conference, I don’t know anything.”
3. Remember you are a writer. “Hi, I’m Stephanie. I write YA. This is my first SCBWI conference. I’m loving it so far.”
4. You are with colleagues not stars that you hold up high to some unreachable platform. They started out just like you. Everyone is a beginner until they aren’t. Everyone was once not published. And like the book says, “everybody poops” LOL but it’s true. You are with COLLEAGUES. Repeat this.

 

I hope these tips help you build confidence and have a great time when you are conferencing. I can be daunting when we build things up so much in our heads. We aren’t worthy thoughts (Wayne’s World reference) creep in and take over. Don’t let them. You are here because you are a writer! YOU ARE A WRITER. You got this!!

Feel free to share this, in fact, please do.

Sign up to be a VIP for more freebies and tips, and subscribe here or my YouTube channel launching soon.

You can also join the Story Concierge Facebook group here.  Where we talk about all things writing, get support, and share.

Happy Writing! xo