Today’s article is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman.

I like schedules.

I remember at one point in my life actually managing to, say, go running, teach six classes, make a meatloaf, and get some writing done all on the same day.

But lately, with a toddler and newborn in the house, “scheduling” mostly means just ensuring that everybody eats and sleeps at predictable times. It might sound clear-cut, but the stakes are high; after all, I’m always hovering one poorly timed peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich-with-carrot-sticks lunch away from a meltdown.

So when to write?

I have visions of rising each morning in the dark, brewing coffee, and hunching over my computer to pound out reams of prose before sunrise, but it never turns out that way. Instead, I often feel like I’m writing on borrowed– or stolen– time.

I love my life and recognize this somewhat crazy stage as just that—a stage. Eventually those inspired pre-sunrise sessions will probably happen again, as they did before I had kids.

But in the meantime, I’ve had to adjust my expectations for how much—and what kind of—writing I can accomplish in a day. The following routines are quick yet productive, and some can even be executed while spreading peanut butter and jelly on a slice of bread.

1. Ten-Minute Task

If you can make a soft-boiled egg, you can write for ten minutes.

This is a low-pressure commitment that also allows just enough time for a little inspiration to kick in. Set the kitchen timer if needed. You might find that when it rings, you’ll want to keep writing– but even if other duties call you away from the desk, you’ve already accomplished something that you can revisit later.

In ten minutes, you can work on an ongoing project or use writing prompts to inject creativity and diversity into your work. Check out Krissy Brady’s list of five writing prompt websites, put a little faith in fate with the random Short Story Ideas generator, or consider purchasing a book (Bryan Cohen’s 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts, for example) to leave in easy reach on your desk.

2. Pocket Notebook

Writers need to be ready when inspiration strikes!

A friend of mine told me she once pulled over to the side of the road to dash off a poem that came to her as her daughter slept in the carseat. I carry a tiny palm-sized notebook and pen in my diaper bag and use it to jot ideas and observations as they come. Sometimes I can barely read the crooked chicken-scratch I produced while balancing my stroller with one hand and writing with the other, but I’m almost always able to use it later.

British novelist and journalist Will Self noted the importance of the notebook: “Always carry a notebook. And I mean always,” he said. “The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever.”

In this digital age, however, you might be able to ditch the pen and paper for your SmartPhone‘s voice memo feature; a few quick recordings take less time than a phone conversation and ensure you won’t forget those key observations later on.

3. Self-Paced Class

The structure of an online writing class provides creative stimulation and helpful incentive for completing projects.

This fall I signed up for an online travel writing class that is also self-paced; I have unlimited access to the course material, and can receive editorial feedback as I complete the work.  I like the combination of obligation and flexibility; I have concrete assignments that have challenged me and built my portfolio, but I’m not pressed for time.

If you find the cost of a class prohibitive, I can’t think of a better use of $10 than the Southeast Review’s 30-Day Writing Regimen, an online package containing writing exercises and advice, delivered each weekday for six weeks.

4. Weekly Reader

Once a week, dig up something you’ve written and read it.

It could be something you wrote last week or last year, and you can read it to yourself or share it with someone else. Reading some or all of it out loud adds great perspective. The point is that hearing your work, sharing it with someone else or forcing yourself to revisit it, can spark renewed interest in a particular piece. That slight pressure we feel to make our writing perform– even if just for a partner or friend– can be just the incentive we need to continue working.

Remember, the busier life gets, the more there is to write about. And sometimes all it takes is ten minutes. “Writers write,” said Scottish writer A.L. Kennedy. “On you go.”

What manageable writing routines help you stay productive and structured?

If you’re in the northern hemisphere, it’s probably cold and flu season around your parts. Even though it’s summer here in Australia, we’ve still managed to get quite a few illnesses circulating recently.

Well, a couple of months ago, at 22 weeks pregnant with twins, I developed acute bronchitis.

I’d already been sick with a head cold for two weeks before that, and suddenly the cough took a turn for the worse. For three weeks after that, I could barely leave the house. I was in the middle of finishing an eBook, planning a launch, conducting a search for two regular contributors, and trying to keep up with my daily child care and routines.

While I can’t say I was as productive during my illness as I would have been otherwise, I did manage to keep up with my writing schedule to a reasonable extent.

There are a few keys to how I was able to continue carrying my workload while I was feeling under the weather. Next time you’re hit with a bug, try the following tactics:

Call in reinforcements.

When you’re sick, your parents, mother-in-law, friends, or neighbours may be willing to watch your kids, clean your house, or run errands for you. I don’t usually like to beg for help, but the worse I felt with this cough, the more willing I was to ask.

My mother-in-law was kind enough to give me a hand with the kids when she was in town. Just having someone to play with my 2-year-old and do the pile of dishes on the counter for me was a huge help.

Having a few household tasks out of the way gave me more energy to keep up with my writing.

Cut out unnecessary activity.

The school year was just wrapping up when my illness was at its peak. As a parent, this meant there were still before-and-after school runs to do, and extracurricular activities to attend.

I got my husband to take over picking up and dropping off our older son from school, and I asked a couple of other moms who also attended the same extracurricular activities if they wouldn’t mind taking my son with their own kids. My husband took over all the grocery shopping until I started to feel better, as well.

Not having to leave the house as much gave me more time to rest and recuperate, and gave me a chance to work on writing tasks when needed.

Get as much done as possible when you feel the least rotten.

Some days, I felt like I couldn’t pull myself out of bed, while others I had a little more energy. Mornings and evenings were particularly bad (because I was hardly sleeping at all, and the cough seemed to be worse at those times), so I made sure I didn’t do anything for the first and last couple of hours of the day.

In between, sometimes I’d perk up a bit—enough to allow me to write a blog post, work on a short story, or answer some important emails. Because I knew afternoons were the best times of day for me, I allowed myself to rest morning and evening, and did as much as possible in between.

Most of us can ‘look forward’ to catching at least one cold, flu, or stomach virus this season. While being sick is never fun, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean the death of your writing schedule until you regain your health. A hand from friends and family, cutting back on your physical activity level, and working hard during those brief times of relief can help you emerge from your illness without a lengthy to-do list.

When you’re sick, do you allow yourself complete rest? Or, do you push yourself too hard to maintain the same level of productivity you usually have? Have you managed to achieve a healthy balance between the two? 

Today’s article is written by regular contributor Susan Bearman.

Writing can be a pretty lonely business. Butt in chair, eyes glued to computer screen or favorite notebook is not the most social activity, but it is the way most of our work gets done.

Joining a writing group can keep you from turning into a total hermit and put you in contact with other people who love writing just as much as you do, people who may be able to help you or who you may be able to help somewhere down the line.

Writing groups come in all shapes and sizes:

• workshops and lectures
• critique groups
• writing conventions and conferences
• online groups
• MFA programs
• residency programs

The length, meeting frequency, duration, and location of these programs vary widely, but they all have one thing in common: they offer a community of and for writers.

It’s fine to talk to family and friends about your writing, but unless they are writers themselves (or at least avid readers), their eyes will eventually glaze over somewhere between the third and thirtieth revision of your work in progress.

Each of the kinds of writing groups listed above has advantages and disadvantages. Today I’m going to talk about a specific kind of writing workshop, one that meets weekly and has speakers who are professionals in writing.

I’m lucky enough to live near Off Campus Writers’ Workshop (OCWW), the longest continuously running writing workshop in the United States. Our group meets weekly for two-and-a-half hours on Thursday mornings, September through May.

We have speakers from all areas of the writing spectrum covering topics that range from a close investigation of the ending of novels to how to write an effective query letter to how to set up a blog and Facebook page. Some speakers offer critiques, others do not. Each week is like a graduate-level class on some aspect of writing.

If you choose to join a group like OCWW, here are some of the things I’ve learned along the way to make them work for you:

Make a Commitment

Go to every session. This should be your time, an investment you make in your writing and your career. You never know what you might miss if you skip a week. There was a time when I used to pick and choose which sessions I would attend.

One time, I got the dates mixed up and showed up for a speaker who wrote fantasy novels, completely out of my realm. During her presentation, she spoke a lot about the business of writing, showed us actual (redacted) contracts, and helped me better understand how to market myself and my work. Had I followed my inclination, I would have missed all that valuable information.

Being around other writers is always inspiring. As the speaker shares his or her knowledge, I find the synapses in my writer’s brain start firing a lightning speed. If an idea occurs to me during a session, I turn to the back of my notebook and write it there so it’s easy to find later. We frequently have an informal lunch after our sessions. Some people are eager to continue the discussion, but I know just as many who are eager to get home and get writing.

Don’t Judge by Genre

I read a lot about the kind of writing I do. I’ve been studying it and doing it for a long time.Through my writing workshop, I have found I often learn more from writers who work in different formats and venues than I do.

From our poet speakers, I have learned about pacing, rhythm, and economy of words. From the mystery writer, I learned that every page you write — no matter what your genre — should have your reader asking, “I wonder what comes next?” From the food writer and restaurant critic, I learned the importance of setting the mood, identifying the telling detail, and finding words that will make your readers feel as if they are living the experience themselves.

Every single speaker has had something to teach me.

Participate

Most groups offer time to meet and greet before or after the session, or sometimes during a break.

Make the most of these opportunities. Introduce yourself to your neighbor on either side. If possible, try to meet the speaker. If you don’t already have a business card, you can get very inexpensive ones made (100 cards for under $10) or print them yourself. It doesn’t have to be fancy — just your name, title (“writer” will do), and email address. Hand them out and collect other people’s cards to start your writing network.

If there is a discussion or Q&A, by all means, ask your question or offer your opinion. But don’t monopolize the discussion, and always be polite and as positive as possible. When offering a criticism, make sure its constructive.

Take Good Notes

Some people at our workshop bring laptops and type their notes right into their computers. I use the spiral notebooks I buy from Target at the beginning of the school year (10 for a dollar). I’ve seen others use fancy journals and fancier pens, but I like the working attitude of my spiral notebooks. If a session is particularly inspiring or germane to my my writing, I type up my notes at home.

Be sure to note the date and topic, as well as the speaker’s name and any contact information he or she shares. If the speaker invites you to friend him on Facebook or send questions by email, do it. Start that conversation and expand your network, but use common sense. If the speaker offered to answer questions by email, keep yours relevant to the topic of the day. Don’t expect her to be your new best friend or to introduce you to her agent. In other words, don’t be a pain.

Join the Board

Joining the board of a writing group is a great way to beef up your writing street cred. It shows that you are passionate and committed to your craft, and it looks great on a resume or query letter. Most writing groups are run by volunteers. Our board has 15 members, others are much smaller, some even larger.

If you have a particular affinity for numbers, you might want to volunteer to be the group’s treasurer. I’m currently the communications chair for OCWW, because even in my volunteer activities, I like to be writing. It keeps my skills sharp and pushes me to stay current on social networking. Our programming chairs often extol the value of the contacts they have made while booking speakers for our sessions. Use your vocation or avocation and find a way to make a difference in your group.

Writing groups can be a great way to expand your knowledge, meet other writers, and develop a valuable network. Like anything else, the more you give, the more you get. The Writer magazine maintains a list of writing groups. In the UK, check out the National Association of Writers’ Groups. Or do an Internet search using “writing groups” and your location.

Editor’s note: Are you part of a writing group? What are your best tips for making the most of group experiences?

For parents—especially for full-time moms—blogging can be a a lifesaver.

It’s a way of communicating with the adult world when we’re surrounded all day by children. For some, it may be the only form of intellectual stimulation we get during the course of a week.

However, blogging can also be a big commitment if you aim to do it for more than just an emotional outlet.

If you’re a busy mom or dad who blogs, or you’re considering starting one, consider the following six dos and don’ts:

1. DO define your reasons for blogging.

Starting a blog just because you can won’t get you far. Think of how many millions of blogs there are out there—many of them abandoned after just a few posts once the novelty of blogging has worn off.

Why do you want to blog? Is it to promote yourself and your writing through social media? Are you looking to learn more about a specific topic and share your new knowledge with others, or keep up your professional skills by writing about your area of expertise?

If you can’t think of a good reason beyond creating an online diary, why not try something other than blogging? How about joining a support group or a moms-and-tots club, where you can meet other like-minded parents and get a little adult interaction? These options may require less time commitment and effort than blogging.

2. DON’T get yourself in over your head.

Maybe you start out posting twice a week. Soon, you think you’ll get more subscribers by posting three times a week. After you get a couple hundred followers, maybe you decide to start a newsletter. Soon you’re accepting articles from guest posters, doing book reviews, collaborating with other bloggers…and becoming a whole lot busier than you were to begin with.

Take on only the amount of responsibility you can safely commit to. It’s far better to have a blog you can easily take care of than one that eventually leads you to crash and burn.

3. DO focus on quality over quantity.

There’s no need to write long posts all the time. With so many blogs to choose from out there, shorter is often better. Likewise, posting one or two great articles per week is better than posting average ones every day.

Focus on quality. Fill your blog with short-but-powerful articles, and you’ll soon develop a loyal following.

4. DON’T be a no-show blogger.

Commit yourself to a reasonably regular blogging schedule. If you can only manage one post per week, that’s fine as long as you consistently post once per week.

When people subscribe to your articles, they want some sort of predictability. If you post twice a week for a month, and then go missing for a month, your readers may think you’ve given up on your blog and unsubscribe.

5. DO guest post to grow your subscriber list with less effort.

There are many different strategies for growing your subscriber list. Writing great content is the first step, and social media like Twitter and Facebook can help boost your numbers, too.

But one of the best strategies for growing your blog’s audience is guest posting for other blogs. In my first month of blogging, when I had just 23 subscribers to Write It Sideways, I wrote a guest post for Write to Done.

That one guest post more than doubled my subscribers over just a few days, and put me in contact with a published writer who then asked me to guest post on his site, as well. It wasn’t long before that handful of subscribers became hundreds.

For a busy parent, writing just a few guest posts can take your blog further, more quickly, than writing your heart out in your own little corner.

6. DON’T give up during the busiest times.

Life happens, and we all have moments when we’re completely snowed under. During those times, it can be tempting to say, “Right, I’m done with this blogging stuff!”

As a busy mom, myself, one key I’ve found to not giving up is to plan ahead for those times. I always have a long list of article ideas ready and waiting for days I feel uninspired, I ask for guest posts from other bloggers to help with the workload, and I try not to leave writing articles to the last minute, either.

You know you’re going to experience overload at some point, so have an action plan ahead of time to prevent going into give-up mode.

Are you a blogger who has young children to care for? How do you approach blogging so you reap its benefits without overcommitting yourself?

I know, I know. I’m always talking about setting goals as being essential to writing.

It’s one of those topics that never gets stale because, as writers, we’re always setting goals, forgetting goals, giving up on old goals and creating new ones.

And, of course, the start of a new year always brings with it the desire to create fresh goals.

This year, I have a slightly different take on the topic.

For me, and probably for you, setting new writing goals for 2012 isn’t enough. It won’t be enough to get you where you want to go; it won’t be enough to push you to the finish line.

Why?

Writing Doesn’t Happen in Isolation

Unless you’re a hermit who lives in a cave, your writing doesn’t happen in complete isolation from the rest of your life.

Let’s imagine, for example, you’re a stay-at-home mom named Nancy with three young children to care for. Nancy decides that 2012 is her big year—the year she’s going to write that novel she’s always dreamed of. She writes down a goal of finishing the first draft by June 1st, a second draft by October 1st, and a complete revision by December 31st.

Now, I’m all for Nancy setting those goals. In fact, they definitely need to be in place to accomplish something as large as writing a novel in a year.

However, consider that Nancy’s writing doesn’t take place in isolation.

She doesn’t have the luxury of sitting in a quiet office from 9-to-5 each day, continuously plugging away at her writing goals. How much she writes, and the quality of what she writes, is affected by other things going on in her life—namely, caring for her family.

Does Nancy have goals for her children this year? Does she have overall goals for her family and the things they’d like to achieve as a unit? Has Nancy thought about goals she might share with her partner for 2012?

How will those other life goals affect her writing goals? Nancy may want to write a novel this year, but does that goal jive with—say—a goal of spending more quality time with her husband and children?

It could, but that depends on the specifics of the goals she sets for each of those areas of her life.

For me, setting writing goals for the year is only one part of the equation. I view writing as an integral part of my lifestyle, not something that just happens now and again.

Not having a clear picture of where I want my entire life to end up at the end of 2012, makes achieving my 2012 writing goals much more difficult.

To me, it’s like saying, “This year, I want my right leg to run a marathon.”

What Other Goals Do You Need to Set for 2012?

Let’s think for a minute about who you are and what your life looks like.

Are you a busy mom who loves to write whenever you get a free moment? A teacher who writes on weekends after you’re finished marking papers? An accountant who writes in the evening after a long day at the office?

Do you have young children to care for at home? Are you an active community volunteer? Are you retired and have plenty of time at your disposal?

How you answer the question of who you really are affects the type of goal-setting you’ll need to do this year. In my opinion, to be truly effective, our writing goals need to be set within the context of the rest of our lives.

Ask yourself:

• Where do I want my writing to be at the end of 2012?
• What do I want my marriage or relationship to look like?
• How do I picture my children a year from now?
• How will I develop spiritually this year?
• What do I want for my career over the next 12 months?
• What other personal goals, besides writing, are important for me to achieve?

I have plenty of goals for 2012. Some of them have to do with writing, but many do not. And that’s okay, because 2012 is the year I become a mother of four (in case you didn’t know, we’re expecting twins in about 9 weeks or less).

This year my life will change drastically, but I’ll be sure to set my writing goals in conjunction with the rest of my life.

What writing and personal goals are you setting this year? How will your life goals affect your writing goals? How will you find a happy balance?

Today’s post is written by  Jessica Hill. Thanks, Jessica!

Writing is similar to being on a never-ending roller coaster. We soar up to the highest highs and enjoy the view for a moment before plunging back down to the lows with our stomachs in our throats. There, we hang around while looking ahead for a way to the top of the next hill.

Every writer experiences slumps in their writing, lows typically caused by some form of negativity—negativity that comes from ourselves in the form of doubt or fear, or negativity that comes from others and their seeming lack of faith in us and/or our writing.

The latter, in turn, can cause us to question ourselves, leading to even more negativity. Slumps are inevitable. What we do when we experience these slumps, and have to pull ourselves out of them, is what’s important.

Here are three things you can do:

1. Have multiple projects to work on.

Have multiple projects to work on at any given time. If you’re writing a novel, have a couple of side projects, whether it’s short stories, poetry, or article writing. When you find yourself stuck on one thing, you’ll have something else to walk away to. The best part is, you’re still working.

If you don’t have other things to work on, you’ll probably end up doing something like surfing the Internet or snacking in front of the TV, which is counter-productive. Being able to feel like you’re still accomplishing something will help keep yourself from sinking even deeper into the slump.

2. Get away.

If you find the slump effects more than one project, physically get away from your work. Take a day or two off, go away somewhere for a long weekend. If you can’t do that, at least take an hour or an evening. Walk away and forget about it for as much time as needed or is possible. You’ll come back to your writing refreshed and ready to move forward.

If you’ve talked with someone about your writing who expressed a lack of faith in the project (or in you), get away from him or her. Take time away and when you interact with that person again, tell them how they’ve made you feel and ask them to clarify why they a have a lack of confidence.

Or, simply don’t talk about your writing with them. If they don’t have faith in you or your writing, you don’t need them in your support system.

3. Talk it out.

If you’ve weeded out the naysayers, your support system will consist of people you trust, are close with, and who are enthusiastic about your work. They should be people that you can turn to when you’re in a slump and will do what they can to help you out of it. They’ll talk out plot points and bounce ideas around with you.

Like so many things with writing, a support system is a balancing act. While you need people in your support system who will cheer you on, they also need to be open and honest with you. We’ve all had bad ideas, and often, we can’t see ourselves that they’re bad. We need people there who aren’t afraid to point them out to us.

Writing is About You

In the end, writing is a solitary act and depends on your belief and confidence in yourself. A support system is helpful, but we need to be careful of whom we let into that system.

In addition, while a support system can help pull you out of a slump, you first have to let them help you. At the end of the day, it’s really up to you on how long you hang out in the low spots.

What do you do when you find yourself in a slump? What ways have you found help in digging yourself out of it?

Jessica Hill is a writer of young adult fiction. She lives in rural Ohio and works at her local community college. You can read about Jessica’s writing journey at her blog or join her on Twitter.

Today’s post is written by Christi Craig, a semi-finalist in the Write It Sideways regular contributor search. Thanks, Christi!

It’s December, and plenty of writers are still coming down from the NaNoWriMo buzz.

I haven’t seen the statistics, but I assume a fair share of participants made it to the finish line and a significant number of folks didn’t. I’ve done NaNoWriMo twice, the first time figuring out that I can write 50,000 words of a first draft in just under one month, and the second time discovering that I can also choke after 20,000 words.

I didn’t participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but I dove into a similar collective writing experience last October. With a small group of writers, I put all my energy into crafting a workable first draft of a 10,000 word story for an anthology. Ten thousand words, easy enough.

As with NaNoWriMo, there were daily check-ins, virtual cheerleaders on Facebook, and a deadline for completion. And just like cranking out the first draft of a novel, my stomach sank at the thought of wringing so many thousands of words out onto the page.

I had plenty of false starts, with doubts of ever reaching the end. The beginning was never good enough; I returned again and again to page one. I changed the first line, changed it back; killed off the mother, then just gave her cancer; then turned back one more time, thinking Geez, cut the drama already. Like pulling teeth…or (worse) like pulling on a hangnail, going back to the beginning, when you’re desperate to reach the end, stings every time.

Those false starts were not in vain, though, since I learned something from the experience.

One, whether it’s a first draft of a novel, a memoir, a short story, or even a blog post (I won’t tell you how many times I restarted this post…), getting past the first page—sometimes, the first sentence—can be the biggest challenge.

And two, there are several ways to approach a story; employing one or all of those approaches helps us find our way to the end.

1. Write from a different perspective.

Starting over can lead to a new direction or, as in my case, a new protagonist.

In my short story, the protagonist began as a young man who found himself working in the back rooms of a funeral home. But after I wrote a quarter of the way through the story, the energy dropped off.

Frustrated, I went back and wrote from the perspective of his co-worker, a character who had stayed mostly quiet until I turned the spotlight on her. Then, she had lots to say and plenty at stake. Enter, my new protag.

2. Write in present tense.

First drafts can be written in present tense. Believe it or not, finished (and successful) novels can be written in present tense. Jenna Blum did just that in Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers (one a New York Times bestseller and the other a Boston Globe bestseller). When asked about her choice of tense in writing those novels, she said this:

I wrote both [stories] in present tense because, as one of my Grub Street novelists…once said, the present tense is ‘the tense tense.’ The reader doesn’t have the security of retrospect. . . . [T]he reader is strapped into the immediate experience with the character.

3. Be dramatic. It’s okay.

Like I mentioned earlier, I jump straight to the drama when I write first drafts. It’s almost a genetic reflex, painfully so, and I’ve been told more than once that my characters tend to be too depressed, too serious, too…everything.

However, I’ve learned to accept that my first drafts allow me to pour out that early drama onto the page, so that eventually I find my way to the real meat of the emotion, and to the crux of the story. During my October craze-filled-short-story-writing frenzy, I nixed a ton of unnecessary drama in the final drafts of that story, but I couldn’t have made it to the end of the early draft without letting myself go there in the first place.

In a post on Intrepid Media, Jael McHenry (author of The Kitchen Daughter) offers some first-draft pointers, and she mentions NaNoWriMo as a valid approach. She says:

Perfection is paralyzing. . . . Momentum is your friend. . . . A bad draft is better than none at all. . . . [and] NaNoWriMo isn’t a way to write a book, but it’s one good way to get a book on its feet, off and running, or at least out of the gate.

Get the book on its feet. Get the story started. Go.

What approach will you use today to push through that first draft?

Christi Craig writes flash fiction and short stories, and is currently at work on her first novel. For more about Christi and her writing, visit her website. You can also follow her on Twitter or friend her on Facebook.

Today’s post is written by Sarah Callender, a semi-finalist in the Write It Sideways regular contributor search. Unfortunately, Sarah must pull out of the search for personal reasons, but we can look forward to the occasional guest post from her in the future. Wishing you all the best, Sarah!

We writers are a funny bunch. And when I say ‘funny,’ I mean ‘a little crazy.’

Let’s face it: we willingly hole up by ourselves, for months (or years) on end, putting words and stories on the page, believing that someone will enjoy those very words and stories enough to publish us…perhaps even pay us.

If we are lucky enough to find someone who does indeed want to pay us, and if we are nutters enough to calculate the hour-to-dollar ratio, we realize we have earned roughly $.37/hour writing that novel. That’s 37 cents an hour.

See? That’s a little crazy. And when I say ‘a little crazy,’ I mean ‘totally insane.’

Yet we press on, partly because we are genetically compelled to do so. We feel crabby and itchy and constipated if we go too long without putting words on the page. Most of us can’t not write for more than a few days or weeks without feeling prickly and irritable.

But many of us also write because we are dreamers. We dream of publication. We dream of sharing our words and stories with someone other than our mothers and our cats. We dream of getting published in The Paris Review, of winning Pen-Faulkners and Man Bookers and Pulitzers.

Some of us even dream of getting rich. Can you believe it? we imagine others saying. She got paid a million dollars for that novel.
Of course there are plenty of writers who care nothing about publication or awards or wealth. I just don’t know any of them. They must live in North Dakota or Russia or some island off the coast of Lilliput.

Are You a Dreamer or a Goaler?

All the writers I know write because they dream of sharing their stories, their discoveries, their truths with the world. Or at least with several thousand people. Certainly more than their mothers and their cats.

And gosh, it is good to dream. If we are to be writers, especially if we are to be fiction writers, we must be Dreamers. It’s part of the job description. There is no fiction without a willingness to dream.

Yet we must also be Setters of Goals. Goalers. Yes, I know. It’s not nearly as sexy to be a Goaler as it is to be a Dreamer. Take Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Had he shared an ‘I Have a Goal’ speech, I don’t think it would be considered one of the finest pieces of American rhetoric today.

Goal setting is right up there with reorganizing the linen closet or cleaning grout. Perhaps vacuuming out the minivan.

But sometimes it’s the least sexy things that keep us in the game. And don’t you desperately want to stay in the game? Don’t you want to be much more than a bench warmer or a water boy?

If so, then here’s a bit of advice, some of the best I have ever received about staying in the game of writing: writers must constantly be setting goals. However, these goals must be the right kind of goals. Specifically, SMART goals.

Setting SMART Writing Goals

SMART is an acronym that stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Action-Oriented
• Realistic/Relevant
• Time-Specific

For example, let’s say you set this goal: Get published in The New Yorker.

Sorry, but that’s totally unhelpful. It’s Specific, and it’s Measurable, but there’s nothing Time-Specific about such an open-ended desire. Plus, unless you happen to be the guy who puts the Yes! stamp on submissions to The New Yorker, you don’t have a say about what goes into an issue. Therefore it doesn’t meet the Realistic/Relevant qualification.

So please move Get published in The New Yorker over to the Dreams column. Where it belongs.

A dream is shiny and pretty and probably quite heavy. Like a coconut cream pie. Or an ocean at sunset. Dreams sit on our shoulder and whisper things like, But what about me? Don’t forget about me!. Dreams are essential so please, don’t stop dreaming.

But if you dream of getting published in a prestigious publication, in any publication at all, then create a SMART goal, something over which you have total control.

Perhaps this: Submit one short story to five publications (two top-tier and three others) during the month of December.

If you are someone who cares about publication, then it is your job, nutty writer-friend, to get your writing into the hands of readers or editors or agents. And you can do that. You can’t control whether those folks like it, certainly not whether they accept it for publication, but you can get it into their hands.

Here’s another. Take Get an agent (that’s a dream), and create this goal: Find twenty agents who represent work similar to mine. Organize this list from most to least appealing, then query the seven most appealing by February 28, 2012.

If all goes well, by February 28, you will have sent your query to seven agents. Your goal cannot hinge on the approval or acceptance of others, but it can (and should) hinge on getting it into the hands of others.

Here’s another: Get a grant. Hmm, that smells like a dream.

But create this goal: Apply for five grant opportunities in 2012, and you’re in great shape.

Dreams are often beyond our control. Goals, the right kind of goals, are totally doable. And I, for one, feel a little better about my day when I have accomplished at least one writing goal, which is sometimes as simple as this goal: Write Every Day.

A friend of mine taught me that one. It doesn’t matter if what I write is good or brilliant or worthy of Pulitzers. If I have written, then I have accomplished my goal, which inches me closer to my dream.

Your turn now! Are you naturally a Dreamer or a Goaler in your writing life? Are there ways you can shift your dreams into SMART goals? Please, be brave and share.

In fact, how about setting this SMART goal: Comment on at least one Write It Sideways post this month. Now that’s a SMART goal.

Editor’s note: I couldn’t agree more with that goal, Sarah!

Sarah Callender is represented by Rebecca Oliver at William Morris Endeavor, and her novel is currently undergoing a round of revisions. She received a 2010 King County Arts Commission grant for an interdisciplinary art/poetry project in the Seattle Public Schools, and the first chapter of her novel, BETWEEN THE SUN AND THE ORANGES, received Honorable Mention in the 2010 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. Sarah blogs regularly at Inside-Out Underpants. She lives with her husband and two children in Seattle where she is hard at work on her second novel.