How to Reach Your Writing Goals


Motivating yourself as an author is the most difficult part of finishing a manuscript. Part of getting to the end of your book is setting a proper mindset, part of it is setting helpful habits. In the clip below, a series of experts and authors share how they prepare themselves so that they’re motivated to finish projects. They help writers set expectations and prepare themselves for the hard work necessary to write a book, whether it’s fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. A few give advice on how to lay the groundwork for your writing career. Others share tips that you can incorporate into your writing life right now.

Don’t forget, though, that you get to pick and choose the things that work for you. “What I wish I had known at the beginning is that there isn’t really a wrong way to do this as long as the results are there: as long as the words get on the page, as long as you're learning and growing your craft,” says author and educator José Pablo Iriarte. As you listen to these professionals share their experiences and expertise, don’t forget that every writer’s process is unique and every person requires different types of motivation.

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