I just typed this up for a friend of mine and then I thought I might as well share it. Maybe it might help someone.

Setting a huge goal like a novel in a month is completely overwhelming. It seems impossible.

So break it down to a number each day. Then break that number down so 1,667 a day? Write some and then it’s only 1300 left, now it’s 900, now it’s less than what I already wrote.

When writing, the goal isn’t the 1,667, I’m not writing 1,667 words. I’m writing for 15 mins, it’s to write to the next 100, it’s to roll a dice and write that many tens of words.

Big goals become small ones, which become smaller ones, which become possible. Break it down into bite size chunks, fool your brain into thinking it’s a little when actually it’s chipping away at achieving a lot.

Set a bigger goal than intended to start with. A minimum goal, an aim and then a dream.

By trying for more, say 3k a day rather than 1,667. If I make 2k everyday, I will finish the month with 60k. It’s not 100k but it’s more than I would have if I had aimed just for the 1,667.

I did that in 2014 and 2015 NaNo. I aimed for 100k both times and the most I came out with was 60k but I got a lot more than I would have otherwise. I pushed myself everyday to shoot higher and often didn’t manage it. However, if I had set the goal lower then my brain would have mentally said done when I got close. It’s harder to do extra.

With that “failed” larger goal I had lower ones. To reach 50k, to type the end etc. And I made those so it wasn’t a massive disappointment that I hadn’t reached 100k. It is my dream to one day crack triple digits but I’ve been trying on and off for the past 6 years and never come close. That doesn’t stop me from dreaming or from trying because whether I get it or not, I still wrote a metric ton because I was pushing myself. I demanded more and for a short time I got it.

It’s easy to tell yourself to squeeze out an extra 100 words to make the next thousand on the total. Then once that’s done, to say finish the scene, then do another 15 mins to make it to the hour etc. The word count creeps higher and it’s just a few words at a time.

So break those goals down and shoot for the stars. The world needs your story!