Writers, Are you Over-Planning Your Year?

In the past couple of days, I’ve heard planning discussed in the same way by three business coaches, two of whom I work with and one whose Facebook page I follow.

All three of them were warning against over-planning your year, of focusing on outcomes (which we honestly don’t have much control over), something a lot of people — writers just as much as small business owners — seem compelled to do at the beginning of the year.

Their message resonated with me because it’s the same message I share with writers: Don’t overplan your work. Allow space for exploration and discovery by engaging with the process instead of trying to force outcomes. When you force your writing, it sounds, well, forced.

Yes, have intentions. Yes, have goals. Yes, commit to a weekly writing schedule — which you can change at the beginning of each week. But try not to lock yourself into planning that becomes a harsh overlord:

* I will write two chapters of my novel a month.
* I will write and publish four short stories this year.
* By June, I will have completed a draft of my memoir. I’ll revise in July and August, and send it to agents in September.

What if your novel wants to take a turn you hadn’t anticipated?
What if one, or two, of your short stories needs to sit on the back burner for awhile, simmering?
What if the revision of your memoir takes much longer than you anticipated because you keep making discoveries about the material, about yourself?

Instead, just commit to showing up, to doing the work, to nourishing your writer self, to growing as a writer.

* I will write every week. This week, I will write for three hours on Saturday.
* I will make time to read more.
* I will take a workshop this spring.
* I will look into joining a writers group.
* I will learn more about self-publishing.
* I will start an author Facebook page and share my work in progress.

Writing is work, yes. But it’s not supposed to be torture. It’s supposed to enrich our lives, not deplete them.

____________

Reprint of January 8, 2020 “Something to Consider.”

WingedHorseHealing.com