My writing goals this year and how focusing on the process not the outcome can can help you create more magic

Take inspired action, obsess with quality, relish each moment, forget about time. Or as Brandon Sanderson puts it: "Journey before destination". Well said, Mr. Sanderson!

Hello there!

I’m not going to beat around the bush—I have only one specific goal for this year and it is to write my first novel, start to finish. However, this is a final destination I don’t want to focus on, day in, day out. It feels too far away, too unachievable, too impossible. I will keep it in mind, but my true goal this year is to fall in love with writing like never before.

I want to learn to love the process of putting words on a page, not to fixate and rush to a faraway outcome at all costs. I want to document and share my journey—writing is a solitary endeavour, but it doesn’t need to be lonely all the time.

I want to learn the ropes. Good writing comes with practice and I've been practicing for a long time by writing little stories for myself. But this is bigger and I still have a lot to learn. However, it's also not rocket science—with the right teacher, consistency and practice, one year is enough to get to the skill level needed to enjoy the ride.

And finally, I want to romanticize the life I’m building around my writing practice as much as I can. For me, writing is magic making that requires, and deserves, its own little cosmos of quirky rituals, cozy spaces, and peculiar joys. Right now, I’m having plenty of gleeful fun uncovering and creating this new life for myself, and sharing it with you.

And that’s it.

Yes, I do want to write a full novel. More even, if I can. But I want the finished novel to be a result, almost a by-product, of reaching my true goal—writing daily, learning the ropes, and setting up a magical writer’s life within the trappings of my already existing life of a creative geek.

Here is a little affirmation I set for myself to help me focus on my true goal this year:

Take inspired action,
obsess with quality,
relish each moment,
forget about time.

Thank you for reading and have a magical week!

Lina