My Summer Writing Goals (and How You Could Set Some Too)

Hi, everyone! This is Amelia today. With school pretty much over and summer on its way, I thought I would talk a little bit about my writing goals for the summer and how I plan to achieve them. I also wanted to talk about how, even if you’re not a writer, you can set some goals too! 

My Writing Goals

My Current WIP

I’m over  90,000 words into my first draft of “Project Airship” as I’ve been calling it for a while now. My word count estimate for this novel was 100,000 words originally, but I feel like it’ll probably be closer to 120,000. 

My goal for this project over the summer is to basically completely ignore it. I hope to finish draft one by the end of June, and then take a break from it for at least a few months. It’s been such a learning process, and I’m seeing just how much work this story needs. In fact, every time I think about editing, I get a little overwhelmed. So taking a break from this project will be much needed and will really help me come back to it with a fresh mind! 

A Future project

My main writing goal for the summer is to brainstorm my next novel and get a strong outline for it. I tried *so* hard to outline my current WIP, but I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t do half as much work as I should have done… Now, with an almost finished book under my belt, I (hopefully) know how much work I need to put into my next outline and will do a better job of it. I’ve got a couple ideas and themes swimming around in my mind for this new book, and I think it’s really going to be a good and fun challenge. 

So, the main point of this post was to provide a little motivation for you. I find that the main way I receive motivation is through seeing that others are trying to push themselves and create goals; it really helps me to keep going when I see others are trying too! I understand, though, that not everyone who’ll be reading this post writes frequently or likes to write at all. And that’s completely fine! I think that we can all learn from our own writing, though, and that it never hurts to practice it regularly, no matter how you choose to do that.

I encourage you to set a few writing goals for the summer. Maybe that’s not writing a book or a story. Maybe it looks like journaling every day, writing a few letters or cards to friends and family, or maybe writing a few poems. Maybe it looks like writing out prayers, emailing more people, or tracking progress in certain areas.

For me, writing is a way that I can share what I’m feeling. I’ve never been good at talking or telling anyone what I’m feeling, but, when I write, it’s easier for me to express those thoughts, whether that’s through fictional characters or lyrics or journaling. It’s hard though; I don’t always want to write down those thoughts, but I often leave feeling more accomplished afterwards.

The main thing I’d like anyone reading this to take away is that words are very powerful and we should always strive to use them for good. So, I encourage everyone, myself included, to think about this over the summer and look for ways that our words can bless others and be a tool for our own lives! Writing is a great skill and tool to have, and, no matter what way you choose to write, you can always use your words to help others and share the truth we all need to hear!

Some writing goals that you could set:

-write in a journal a few days a week 

-start a summer art journal 

-email 3 friends/family members in a week and ask how they’re doing

-start tracking your progress on a goal you have

-Write a book review on the next book you read

-Write a few poems over the summer

-Send a card or letter to a few people over the summer

-Write out your thoughts on a few subjects you care about

-Write some of your favorite memories down to remember 

-Text someone everyday for a week 

-Write out some Bible Verses by hand and write some things about them 

There are tons of different ways that you could use your own creative voice; these are just a few things that I came up with! I hope you enjoyed this post and I’d love to hear any ways that you plan on using your words this summer! 🙂 

– Amelia