5 Goals to Set if You Want to Write a Book

Do you dream about writing a book?

Maybe you have a fascinating life story, or maybe you’ve been through seasons of life that have shaped you in ways you want to share, or maybe you just have a really fun story in your head that you think will make for a great novel . . . those are all good reasons to write a book.

Not sure where to start? I’d recommend starting with goals . . . and more specifically, goals you write down. There’s ton of research behind this idea of writing down your goals, but we’re not going to get into that. Just know, that setting to paper what you want to accomplish will be the fuel that helps you reach the finish line. It will serve as your frequent reminder that this task is important to you, that’s it’s within reach (because you have achievable goals along the way), and that finishing is more about grit than it is about skill.

If we were sitting down for coffee and you asked me what goals you should set before embarking on this wild ride, I’d give you five (and one bonus):

Goal #1: Date to finish your first draft

Make no mistake, most people can start a writing project, but most people won’t finish. Starting is the easy part, but it’s the finishing that matters. That’s why I think it’s important to set a goal for when you will finish your messy, first draft. This is exactly what it sounds like: the first round of getting all your ideas on paper without any regard for issues around your structur, grammar, spelling, plot, etc. None of that matters the first go around. All that matters is that you have the entire story, from start to finish, on paper—you have something to work from now.

This date can be anywhere from three months to a year. But remember, this is your messy, first draft. It doesn’t have to be anywhere near polished. That’s why it’s okay if you finish in three months—in fact, I encourage you to do so! This is your time to write fast, not look back, and get every single idea out of your head and onto the page.

Let’s say you choose three months from today . . .

Goal #2: Word count for the entire manuscript

Now, you should set a goal for how many words total you want your manuscript to be. Most fiction is a minimum of 80,000 words, while non-fiction is more like 50,000. What will yours be? Once you have that number and you know when you want to finish that first draft by, then I want you to realistically think about when you’re going to write.

Goal #3: Number of days a week you will work on your manuscript

How many days a week can you set aside a solid hour or more to work on this book? You’re probably going to have to shift your schedule around. Maybe you’re going to get up two hours early each day or stay up a little later. Maybe you want to dedicate three lunch breaks a week or five-hour chunks on the weekend. I recommend finding a consistent rhythm rather than working on it “when you get a chance.” Choose specific days, specific time frames, and block them on your calendar. If this is important to you, you’ll find the time for it.

When you know when you want to finish, how many words you want to write, and when you’re going to write them, you can then do some simple math to figure out . . .

Goal #4: Word count per writing session

This is so important because if you sit down for a writing session without a goal for that session, you’ll be tempted to waste time doing anything but writing. You might browse the internet and call it “research” or read through what you wrote the day before and call it “editing,” but none of that should be happening during your writing sessions. Set a clear goal for how many words you want to write during each session so that you walk away knowing whether or not you got one step closer to your dream that day.

The best way to figure out what your word count per writing session should be is to use this formula:

*Deadline (3 months) —> # of weeks (12 in 3 months) —> number of writing sessions (4x a week) = 48 writing days before the deadline (4 writing sessions per week x 12 weeks = 48)

*Total word count goal (80,000) ÷ Writing days (48) = 1,666 words per writing session needed to reach deadline.

So in this example, you need to write 1,666 words everytime you sit down if you want 80,000 words in three months. It might sound like a lot of words, but if you put all the distractions away and focus, you CAN do it!

Goal #5: Receive feedback

Finally, I would tell you to set one more deadline: when are you going to show it someone for feedback? This could be someone in your writing group, an avid reader who will tell you the truth, or even a developmental editor that you hire for their professional feedback (that’s what I did!). This will likely have to be three to six months after you finish your first draft. You want to give yourself enough time to go back, revise, edit the heck out of it, and make it strong before you ask for feedback.

Bonus: Sending it out to agents or securing self-publishing resources

Okay, it would be remiss of me not to include something about pursuing publication if that’s what you’re interested in. It might be a while after your receive feedback before you’re ready to show it to an agent or invest money in getting it self-published. You’ll hopefully have some good, critical feedback on how to make your book stronger, and you’ll want to spend enough time doing just that. Writing a book is a long process—and there’s really no way around that. Take your time getting the book right (I highly recommend reading Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday for more on this).

But once you feel it is right, well, then . . . what are you waiting for? Get to writing your query letter and get that baby out there!