Freelance Writers: What Are Your Goals for 2011?

The New Year is approaching like a speeding bullet — will you be ready for it? Now is the time to evaluate your goals for 2011. Freelance writers who don’t have goals won’t have a plan of action to make 2011 better than 2010 and previous years. If you’re beginning your freelance writing business, you’ll want to make sure you have goals and a solid plan to reach them.

Anyone can set goals but it’s the plan that is most important. Freelance writers, if you don’t have a plan you’ll be fumbling around in the dark without any direction. Write down the five most important goals you want to reach in 2011. Ponder them before you create a plan of action. Give yourself time to reach your goals. If you don’t reach them within one or two months, reevaluate your plan and create a new one. Plans can be modified at anytime.

Here’s an example of a goal and what you can do to reach it:

Freelance writers, if you didn’t reach your goal of adding five new clients to your freelance writing business, come up with a plan to obtain them in the New Year. Perhaps you need to do more marketing and self promotion. Maybe you could utilize networking groups and commit to going to three meetings per week. Maybe you could purchase advertising in your local newspaper or online. Reevaluate why you didn’t reach your goal and create a plan to guarantee you’ll reach it in 2011.

Sample of goals

• Find and retain five new clients.
• Create a new website.
• Write an eBook.
• Create a class or workshop.
• Find a literary agent.
• Finish YA novel.
• Find ghostwriting clients.
• Create a newsletter.
• Query at least five magazine editors per week.
• Send out a direct mail advertisement.

Sample plan of action

• Attend three networking events each week.
• Purchase Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents 2011, 21E: Who They Are! What They Want! How to Win Them Over! (Jeff Herman’s Guide … Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents) and find literary agents and publishers that work for you.
• Find a web designer and have your website redesigned.
• Choose a specific time during the day to open and read emails.
• Schedule social media and spend 15 minutes to 30 minutes per day on it.
• Research magazines and query the ones that you’d want to write for.

Freelance writers, set your goals now and don’t them out of your sight! Visualize yourself becoming a published author or a popular ghostwriter. Visualize yourself obtaining five or more clients that are right for you. Believe in yourself and talents. Don’t listen to the naysayers and stay focused on your goals and plan. You can be, do, and have what you desire but you need to laser focus. Good luck in 2011!

Rebecca

What are your goals? Share.