IWSG July: Insecurity SMARTs

11:32 AM Elizabeth Seckman 33 Comments

Insecurity is the fear of failure. No, that isn't the dictionary definition of insecurity, but that's my simplified explanation, especially when it pertains to myself and I believe, other writers. If you never try, you never fail. You protect the dream.

One day...it could happen. By magic. Literally, it will have to happen by magic because you're not really working at the goal. Maybe a day out of each week, you work at the goal. The other six are spent wishing.

Before you know it, years are clicking by and you're still not hitting your goals. Maybe you'll blame yourself for being a talentless hack. Maybe you'll blame the industry for being a bunch of exclusive bastards. Maybe you'll blame the universe and the way it connives against you in everything you do and even made you fat by forcing you to eat all that chocolate while you stared at the screen and did nothing.

Sound familiar? Or is it just me?

Now, I must add the fix. Last month, the IWSG asked what we'd like to see changed about the IWSG and I couldn't think of anything. As I was writing this, I thought, I know what I'd like to see more of: solutions! Sure, I love a good vent, but I love a solution even more. What fun is it to stare at a bunch of puzzle pieces? Isn't it more fun to try to put them together?

So, I am adding SMART goals, writer edition.

Specific: what specific goal will you achieve? Nothing grandiose like mastering the world of literature.

Measurable: pick a goal that can be measured. Sorry, best-selling, all-time hero author isn't measurable. But let's say you have an hour a day, maybe do thirty minute writing sprints; Fifteen minutes studying the craft; and fifteen minutes on social media/marketing.

Achievable: can you complete your goals without the luck of book-winged fairies? (Striking sell one million copies on day one! Adding finishing a rough draft within a year.)

Relevant: A million dollars and best-seller lists are the byproduct of good writing — just go with this. I know...bunches of crappy titles just flowed through your head...breathe and pretend they all had literary merit. Hitting lists and dollar figures aren't the goals. Emily Dickinson only published a few poems during her life, but we don't say she's a crappy poet.

Time-based. Set deadlines for yourself and your goals. And fee free to freshen them often.

Thanks to this month's co-hosts. You guys are awesome and amazing!!!

JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre!