I talk a lot about goals when I talk to the writer-students that I mentor or work with. A lot of time these goals they create are beautiful, concrete, actionable steps.
Write 500 words every day.
Revise two chapters this month.
Submit to five agents before July.
And today I found this post from June 2007 where I had the least specific goals ever.
I’m pasting it in here:
Last night in a massive spasm of insomnia I wrote out my lifetime writing goals in the dark.
The first one is: Write a book that means something to someone other than me.
The second one is: Write a book that’s just fun.
Do you all have writing goals? Are they sales-based (as in selling a book, or making a best-seller list?) Are they different than that?
Sometimes I feel like I’m crouching down at the edge of this great, big cavern, looking, looking, looking for meaning down there, and the clouds are looking with me, trying to figure out where the stories are, where the meaning is, in the world.
Sometimes I feel like I should get some good sleep.
Me in 2007 obviously a little depressed
And I realized that my goals haven’t changed. Only now I want to help other people get those goals too.
Also, I still can’t sleep, but that’s because I’m a bit worried about my friends, about the world, about you.
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