Process goals make that road seem less daunting
by Ruth Harris
Psychologists differentiate between outcome goals (write a book) and process goals (the steps it will take to write a book). The outcome goal focuses on the big picture and the end result—a diamond-studded World Series ring, an Emmy, the winner’s circle at the Kentucky Derby.
An outcome goal (Bestseller! Glowing five-star reviews!) is one over which you have no control. No wonder you feel overwhelmed and intimidated before you even begin.
The big picture is, well, big. You can’t control it and it’s hard to define. Do you want a bestseller? NY Times or USA Today or both? A nomination for a literary prize? Pulitzer? National Book Award? A book your Mom/third grade teacher/college professor will be proud of? A book that will get revenge on the guy/gal who dumped you and prove to the world that they were wrong and you were right?
Even if you can pin down what you want from the book, you still have to write it.
OMG, a book? 60,000-100,000 brilliant, well-chosen words that actually make sense?
Yeah. Write a Book.
- Where do I begin? Even if you’re an ace outliner and have nailed the plot, where do you begin? For a clue, see Anne’s post on first chapters and mine on first chapter blues.
- Who are the characters? Good guys and bad gals. Or vice versa? And don’t forget about character arcs. Decisions, decisions.
- What about the voice? You mean writers need to have a voice? What’s that and how do you get one?
- What’s the time frame? The Middle Ages? Today? Tomorrow? The day after?
- What’s the setting? A secret galaxy? Paris in the 1920s? Wall Street in the 1990’s? A rice paddy in Indonesia? A high rise in San Francisco? A favela in Rio?
The possibilities are limitless.
The choices almost infinite.
No wonder we feel paralyzed.
We can’t decide. Don’t know where to begin. In fact, just contemplating the whole idea of writing-a-book gives me a headache and I’ve written lots of them.
Like Scarlett, I’ll think about writing-a-book tomorrow.
Meanwhile, excuse me while I lie down and take a nap.
Think Big–and Fail.
Remember “Too Big To Fail?” They were talking about banks back then but, when it comes to writing-a-book, “too big” is almost a guarantee of failure.
Remember our big picture: bestseller, literary prize, a smile from Mom, a moment of delicious revenge? Problem is, you can’t control readers, buyers, literary critics, Mom (no kidding!), or the ex who done you wrong. No one can.
Bestseller, literary prize, a smile from Mom, a moment of delicious revenge are outcome goals and for someone thinking about writing-a-book they’re Bad News.
Did Mark Zukerberg create the early, collegiate version of FaceBook in his dorm room and think he would one day be one of the richest men in the world? I doubt it. I suspect he was eating chips and thinking about the next line of code.
Ditto Henry Ford. Did he imagine he was going to revolutionize transportation, set the foundation for highway systems around the world, create the assembly line and the global demand for fossil fuels when he put the first Model A on the road? Nope. Don’t think so.
And what about Warren Buffett? What did he have in mind? Become the investment guru whose every pronouncement was taken as gospel? Doubt it. He was most likely thinking about how to make a few bucks in the stock market.
And Steve Jobs? What did he have in mind? Changing the world? Well, come to think of it, knowing what we know about Steve, he probably did think he was going to change the world. 😉
Why Books Don’t Get Finished.
Writing-a-book is probably one of the main culprits that results in books that get started but never finished. They’re the unfinished books languishing on dusty hard drives, the books that get talked about in bars and writers’ groups but never written must less finished, the big dreams that fizzle into disappointment and dashed dreams.
Still, books do get written and they do get published. What’s the secret? What divides writers from wannabes?
The key is thinking small or, as psychologists would say, setting process goals.
Process Goals are the Steps you Take to Get Where you Want to Go.
Whether you’re a tennis player trying to win Wimbledon, an architect designing a house, or a writer aiming to write (or finish) a book, the concept of process goals will cut what seems an overwhelming task down to size.
The tennis player will focus on the cross court volley at hand, not the trophy at the end. The architect will focus on the living room window, not the house. The writer will concentrate on the chapter not the book, the paragraph not the chapter, the sentence not the paragraph.
1. Process goals are bite-sized and achievable.
- A well-chosen process goal will keep you from feeling frustrated and falling into a self-sabotaging downward spiral of self-criticism. For example, your process goal might be to write 500 words a day every day.
- Not so few words you feel you’re investing time and energy to accomplish nothing. Not so many that you flirt with failure from the beginning, feel discouraged and frustrated and give up almost before you start.
2. Process goals protect you from perfectionism.
Your goal is to write 500 words, not 500 “perfect” words. It doesn’t matter if those 500 daily words are “good” or “bad” because—
- The writer is the last to know (ask me how I know!)
- Editing will be your next step (or process goal.)
3. Process goals keep your motivation in high gear.
- You know from experience that you can write 500 words before you leave for work or when you get home or after the kids are in bed. Hitting that target every day will ensure that you don’t get frustrated and paralyzed. Instead, slow but sure, you will feel an on-going sense of accomplishment which fuels your motivation.
4. Process goals will force you to focus on today’s 500 words.
- Not the 60,000-100,000 words that seem Everest sized and impossible. Because they are. Impossible. Can’t climb a mountain in a day. Even billionaires (male or female) put on their pants one leg at a time. A writer can write only one word at a time. Including Tolstoy or J.D. Salinger or any other famous writer you can think of.
5. Process goals force you to concentrate on performing the task at hand.
- As you write your daily 500 words, you are concentrating on a sentence or a paragraph or a scene. Or even le mot juste. You are not spinning your wheels thinking about writing-a-book and all the uncontrollable glories (or setbacks) that will follow.
6. Process goals will slow you down and calm you.
- The undefined, outcome goal of writing-a-book can and will cause intense anxiety. Focusing on a scene, a paragraph, a sentence will quell stress. The consequence is that you will avoid the nasty wingmen of stress: writer’s block and the blank mind face to face with a blank screen.
- Get from here to there, from an idea to a book with the help of process goals!
by Ruth Harris (@RuthHarrisBooks) September 24, 2017BOOK OF THE WEEK
“A SPECTACULAR, RICHLY PLOTTED NOVEL. Racing to a shocking climax, this glittering novel is first-class entertainment, a story of love and money, and how both are made, lost, and found again.” ...New York Times
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And for those of you on the Central Coast of California, don’t forget the big event at Coalesce bookstore in Morro Bay from 1-3 this afternoon. Four dramatic readings from four brand new novels by Central Coast authors. There will be wine. 🙂
OPPORTUNITY ALERTS
Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Published or unpublished work. $12 entry fee per poem. $1500 prize for any style poem $1500 prize for rhyming poem. Submit online or via snail. Deadline September 30th
CONSEQUENCE MAGAZINE WOMEN WRITING WAR AWARD $10 ENTRY FEE. The contests are open to women and those identifying as women. Entries must capture the nuances of the cultures and consequences of war; the topic is not limited to military matters, but includes social, political, and cultural subjects. Prize is $250 and publication. Deadline October 1, 2017.
WRITERS AT WORK FLASH FICTION CONTEST $10 ENTRY FEE. Prize is $300 and publication on the website. Submit a flash fiction piece up to 1,000 words. Deadline October 15, 2017.
Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards. Write Romance, Thriller, Crime, Horror, Science-Fiction, and Young Adult? Short fiction: 4,000 words or less. $20 fee. Grand prize $2500. Deadline October 16th, 2017
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The Insecure Writers Support Group Annual Anthology Contest. This one is for mystery/crime/thriller writers! For IWSG members only, but it’s easy to join just join their FB or Blog group. NO FEE! Word count: 3500-6000 Theme: Tick Tock. The story revolves around a clock, is time sensitive, or has something about a specific time. No erotica, R-rated language, or graphic violence. Deadline: November 1st
20 Literary Journals that publish new writers. Compiled by the good folks at Authors Publish magazine.
Yes!
And not sure which is worse – when you’ve never finished a book or you’ve written several and know what it takes to finish one.
Thanks for mentioning the IWSG Anthology Contest.
Alex—:-)
Brava Ruth — I have no idea how many bite-size-&-achievable-goal talks I’ve had with 7-8th graders over 30+ years of teaching. The ones that get it, go far.
CS—I bet that the ones who get it also apply it, too. Paying attention makes ALL the difference, doesn’t it?
Ruth, I love the way you define outcome and process goals. I have never used those terms but embrace the concepts. Focus on what yo can control is essential advice for any creative and the key to mental health as a writer! Thanks for the reminder.
Carmen–The terms “outcome” and “process” goals came from psychologists who differentiates, as you do, between what the writer can–and can’t– control. Essential for creative work–and mental health!
Yes, a big KISS for SMART goals!
Jan–Kiss plus a big hug for the realistic approach that lets us succeed!
Thanks for your suggestions Ruth – the timing couldn’t be better! I’m currently undergoing re-writes for one of my novels and the more I’ve been going through it, the bigger it gets. As part of my backstory I’m thinking of writing a short story and perhaps a novella. Breaking the work down into smaller goals is definitely more achievable.
Debbie– sounds like your rewrite is leading to some smart decisions. Your novella and short story will also add to your catalog, always a plus.
I found bit size goals are what helped me finally finish my latest masterpiece (j/k). well that and a story idea that simply clicked for me. Seriously though, because I have medical issues of which the end result is severe hand fatigue, the minimum thrice a week goal that I set for myself was to simply chip away at my novel.
The quantity didn’t matter and the quality was minimal, but so long as I wrote something at least three times a week, I felt I was making progress. So unlike my first published novel, of which the first draft took me two and a half months to write and a year of rewrites, the 1st draft of this one has basically taken me about 9 months to complete.
G.B.–thanks for a great comment. You’ve just given us a real-life example that slower can be faster. Inspiring!
I think we lose perspective when we start a book (my current situation). We focus o the total word count and get discouraged. I’m going to start looking at the smaller goals. One scene at a time. Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.
Cheryl–thanks for making a great point about perspective. You’re so right: Bird by Bird. Word by Word. One at a time and we’ll get there.
I read that Robert Heinlein, in the 70’s and 80’s when he had “made it,” established a writing goal of three pages a day of salable copy.
So far, for me, a story has simply grown in my brain until it was all there, beginning, end, characters, plot, settings, all of it. The story as such was really pretty small, so I just wrote the story. It grew to book length (or didn’t) as I wrote.
Fred–Thanks for sharing the Heinlein writing goal. Sounds like he understood the power of process goals. Good luck with your story!
Sometimes I find it daunting, after I decide what I want to write, to believe I’m going to make it into an entire book. But I always do. Now, what happens to it after it’s published is totally out of my hands. That’s the part I find irritating and stressful. I don’t know if having an agent or not having an agent makes a darn bit of difference either. It’s the marketing part that I don’t feel I can control the outcome. I can control the outcome of the book – I write it from beginning to end. But after that….not so much.
Patricia—Marketing is like advertising: 50% works, 50% is a waste. Problem is, no one knows which 50% works. You’re right, marketing is annoying, stressful and frustrating. I wish I knew *the* answer. Or *an* answer. But I don’t think anyone does. I certainly don’t and I feel the way you do. 🙁
I’ve never used the term process goals but I do follow that idea. I don’t usually use a number of words but rather set my process goal as writing at least one scene per day.
Susan—Thanks for sharing your one-scene-per-day approach. Sensible—and do-able. Interesting how many ways there are to reach the same goal: a completed book.
Thank you, Ruth. This was a very calming post. 500 words a day? I can do that. Small goals? I can do that. One step, or scene, at a time? Yep!
Christine—You go, girl! 😉
I am so bookmarking this for when my head clears from my recent book launch, and I can tackle my fourth kid lit tale without feeling overwhelmed. Thanks for chunking down the process!
Cat—Don’t you hate that “overwhelmed” feeling? So destructive. Cutting the job down to size is such a relief—and ends up being so productive!
This was something I’m glad I eventually discovered. I’m a lot more productive when I’m taking baby steps over worrying about one, giant leap.
Patricia—Baby steps are achievable and make you feel good. Giant leaps? Not so much. 🙁
For me, a thousand words a day is enough. The manuscript, the plot moves forward and my conscience is clear.
Louis—Bravo! A thousand words a day is great! I’m impressed!
Valuable advice, Ruth. I never realized how lucky I was when I squandered days (weeks, months) working on my ms with no deadline. Once that book was done I suddenly found myself scrambling to meet deadlines and terrified of not finishing the next book on time. Now that book number two is off to the publisher I’m already kvetching about how I’ll find the time between marketing book one and revising book two how I’ll ever finish book three! I meant start. I haven’t even started. Because Facebook and Twitter and Blogging, oh my! Thanks for the reality check. I’ve found that yours and Anne’s advice to pre-schedule blogs and social media posts and set aside time JUST for writing is what makes the difference between writing and thinking about writing.
Olden—Thanks for the kind words. 🙂 Anne and I have learned (and are still learning) the hard say and try to share to help others avoid our mistakes. Feeling overwhelmed being high on the list! Glad to hear the post helped!
Aaaargh! Stupid autocorrect!