I’ve been going through my list of areas I need to grow in as a writer for 2019 and I’ve realized that there are a few areas where I feel I need extra focus.

Maybe you’ve started planning your writing goals for 2019 too?

As I share some practical areas that I’d like to grow in my own author journey for the coming year, I hope one or two of these ideas will spark inspiration for your own growth as a writer:)

6 Practical Ways to Grow as a Writer in 2019

Just like many of you, I’ve chosen to get more serious about my writing this year. I’ve loved writing in past years, but too many times I would get sidetracked by some shiny new thing and would begin that.

Honestly, this has been a big area of growth for me personally and as a writer.

Too many times before, I would panic and somehow think I wasn’t doing enough, so in my fear I would chase something else(insert ‘new book/course/website’ here).

I’ve realized(at last), that I need to make a change – maybe you do too? If you are wanting to get more serious about your writing, I hope you consider adding these 6 practical changes to how you structure your writing process this year.

To be more deliberate in your writing habits, there are some changes to consider so you are more effective as a writer and Author Entrepreneur. These are the changes I’m making this year and I hope one or two of these ideas inspire you as your plan for the coming year.

1. Be dedicated to your creative work. This is where you get to choose, as a writer, to commit to writing the story you’ve dreamed of publishing. If storytelling is what inspires you, then don’t settle for low expectations and small dreams.

Seth Godin in his amazing book The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? writes, “The path that’s available to each of us is neither reckless stupidity nor endless compliance. No, the path that’s available to us is to be human, to do art, and to fly higher than we’ve been taught is possible.”

2.Choose each day to improve your writing craft. This takes step #1 a little further. Beyond committing to write, choose to: 1)read 15 minutes every day on some part of the craft of writing 2)regularly watch movies and write down the story structure 3)practice at least two 25 minute time-blocks of writing every day.

3.Simplify how you capture ideas and organize your to-do list. As writers, each of us are multi-taskers and it’s too easy to forget things we need to do or to simply not have a place where we can write down ideas as they come to us.

I used to try to keep everything in my head – and I was losing ideas and forgetting important items on my to-do list. Now I have added Evernote to my iPhone as well as I can sync Evernote to my computer too. Another great app(for your smartphone) to write down your ideas and your to-do-list  is Todoist(free). I jot down ideas for books, blog posts or generally what needs to get done and it’s so helpful. It doesn’t matter what type of system you use, but you need something. It’s much too easy to forget:)

4.Decide on specific and measurable writing goals for yourself. Choose what you want to write publish this year and set S.M.A.R.T. goals for yourself.

I found this older post by Dean Wesley Smith has many great ideas to help writers with goal setting.

There are simple steps to create a plan to finish your book with a step-by-step 6 month strategy this new book for writers: Finish Your Book: A 7 C Formula to Unblock Your Creativity and Accelerate Your Writing Goals. 

5.Double check that your books are available in a wide range of digital markets. This is important. You don’t want to rely on just one retailer for readers to buy your books. Throw your net wide and publish on Amazon, Kobo, iBookstore, and for everything else you could use Smashwords or Draft2Digital to send your book to many other retailers.

Give yourself the gift as an author of getting your books everywhere you can… you’ll be glad you did.

6.Focus on building your list of readers and stay focused on your goals. Growth as a writer comes from really two main areas: 1)writing more books  and 2)focussing on growing and connecting with readers who love your books. For both your books and your website it’s important to have an email signup so people can connect with you. Also, on the last page of your book, include a link to a signup page for your readers, so they can continue to receive your blog posts and new book releases. This is really the #1 thing as writers and everything else you do should point back to it.

The most important thing is to do your best to continue to stay encouraged by chatting with other authors on blogposts, or in Facebook groups or by listening to podcasts. Little by little, as you stay steady with your writing goals, you will reach your goals and get your stories into the world to share with readers.

What are some areas you want to grow in as a writer as you plan for 2019?  Please, do leave a comment below… I’d love to hear your thoughts!✍️