Writing Goals and Intentions: 25 Prompts

[These prompts originally appeared in the Jan/Feb 2023 issue of Writer's Digest.]

At the start of each year, we’re encouraged by nearly everyone around us to make resolutions for the new year. Oftentimes, the resolutions are supposed to do with eating better, exercising more, or being a better person. Here at Writer’s Digest, we know writers aren’t immune from the pressure to make their own version of New Year’s resolutions. And that’s great! Trying to be better is a noble cause. But rather than just make a resolution and watch it gradually fall by the wayside as January turns to February and life takes over (guilty as charged!), we want to help you set goals and intentions with actionable steps so you can find writing success in 2023—no matter what that looks like to you.

Use the following questions to journal your thoughts, explore your hesitations, and get honest with yourself about what you want to achieve in 2023.

[Listen to our January 2023 Writer's Digest Presents podcast episode about defining success before you work on these prompts.]

1. What do you hope to achieve with your writing year? Is it something personal or public?

2. What are the obstacles you foresee standing in your way of achieving these goals?

3. Do any of these goals require approval or buy-in from someone other than yourself to be considered complete or achieved? If so, who? (E.g., potential agents or editors, some other gatekeeper, etc.)

4. Are there other ways you can frame the goal so success is in your hands instead of someone else’s?

5. If you’re the only person who could stand in your way, make notes here about why you want to achieve this particular goal so you can refer back to it as a pep talk as needed over the coming year.

1. What do you want to improve about your writing this year? Is there a particular craft technique you want to work on, or do you want to increase your daily/weekly word count? Perhaps write a certain number of short stories or articles? Do you want to finish the manuscript you’ve been working on or start a new one?

2. Does your goal/s from number one have a specific deadline for accomplishment? If so, when is it?

3. Work backward from that deadline to create smaller, more manageable goals for yourself.

4. If your goal isn’t deadline related, what actionable steps can you take to ensure you work on your goal? Is there a class you can take or writing exercises you can try?

5. Since these goals are more personal/private, do you need to create incentives for yourself or some other way of maintaining accountability? What does that look like for you? Knowing yourself, what would you best respond to?

1. What, if any, are your publication goals for 2023? Do you want to sell a certain number of short stories or get your first article byline? Have a manuscript go on submission to publishers? Independently publish your first book? Something else?

2. Editing and feedback are critical. What are your plans for getting another set of eyes on your work before you send it to your target publications or agents?

3. Will you be in charge of submitting your work or will you need an agent? Make a list of where you’d like your work to be submitted or the agents you’d like to query.

4. Have you reviewed the necessary submission guidelines and found the appropriate email or submission forms? Make note of any unexpected or unusual requirements.

5. Take some time now to create a tracker (or find a template online) so you know whom you’ve submitted to and when, when you hear back, and what the response or feedback is. By setting it up now, it will give you the motivation to make use of it, and filling it out with your first batch of submissions will seem less daunting.

1. Take an assessment of the current ways you reach your audience. Is it through your own website or an outside source? Perhaps it’s through social media, podcasting, or a newsletter.

2. What areas of audience outreach bring you joy or satisfaction, and which ones are a struggle to maintain?

3. In what ways do you want to grow your audience this year? Is it more reach in terms of sheer numbers, or more meaningful engagement and interaction? What do you hope to achieve by doing so?

4. What topics do you want to address or talk about with your audience this year? Are there guests you’d like to bring in for their opinion on the topic whom you think your audience would enjoy hearing from?

5. Are there other writers in your genre you’d like to meaningfully connect with to help each other grow your audiences? What about writing groups or organizations?

1. Conduct an analysis of your writing business. Do you have a diverse income source (i.e., do you have one large freelance client and a few small ones, or many balanced clients)?

2. Whether you have an established freelance writing business or want to begin one now, create a list of potential clients you’d like to go after.

3. If you want to start your writing business this year, what areas do you need to learn more about to be successful? E.g., Setting up an LLC, learning about tax write-offs, tracking sales of your independently published books, etc.

4. If you are an independent publisher, what can you do to diversify your revenue stream this year?

5. If you are an independent publisher, are there places where you need to invest more in your business? Or reallocate resources to something else? What are some steps you can take to make those changes?

Setting goals is only part of the process. Figuring out what you need to meet those goals can make all the difference in whether or not you achieve them. Here are some resources that might help.