It’s the beginning of a new year and the perfect time for a fresh start. It’s the best time of the year to reflect on the accomplishments you have achieved in the past year and the areas you might need to improve in the new year as a writer.

The best way to do that is to make an annual review to reflect on the writing goals you have achieved in the past year and set your writing goals and projects for this year.

Write down the tasks
Prepare your materials
Reflect on the past year
Content creation
Finances
Marketing
Professional development
Time
Plan your goals for this year
Vision
Declutter your brain
Time
Goals 
Projects
Quarterly focus
Monthly focus
Weekly focus
Quarterly review

Write down the tasks
My first step in making an annual review is to plan the tasks I need to complete to review the accomplishments I have achieved in my freelance editing business in the past year and set my business goals for this year.

At the beginning of each December, I schedule some time to write down the tasks I need to complete in my digital to-do list. This year, I have written down 15 tasks. Some of them are big tasks that might take multiple days to complete, and others are small tasks that can be combined and take only a few hours.

The tasks in my to-do list are not final. They can and probably will be adjusted when I start making my annual review to better reflect the actual process I need to take. The written tasks, though, give me a sense of direction and an estimate of how many hours it will take me to complete the annual review. 

Since I followed a similar process last year, I can estimate that my annual review will take about 30 hours this year, but I always leave room for more time. I make the annual review during the Christmas holidays every year.

Over to you:
What tasks do you need to complete to make an annual review of your writing goals? Write them down.
How much time do you think it will take you to complete the annual review? Write down a rough estimate and schedule the time in your calendar.

Prepare your materials
The next step I take is to prepare the materials I will need. Everything I need is already organised and gathered in my computer and office desk, so I don’t need to buy anything or make any other extra preparations. 

I use the following materials:

• computer (digital to-do list, calendar, documents)
• a plain lined notebook
•  the Erin Condren Weekly Life Planner (dashboard layout)
• colourful pens (I like to colour-code)
• black or blue pens

Over to you:
What tools and software do you use to make an annual review of your writing goals? Write down a list of materials and prepare them in advance.

Reflect on the past year
I start making my annual review by reflecting on the goals and the projects of the year that passed. I go back to the goals I set for my freelance editing business at the beginning of the year to see which of them I achieved, which ones I didn’t achieve and how and why my focus changed throughout the year.

I ask myself the following questions:

• What goals did I achieve in the past year? What was my biggest accomplishment?
• What didn’t go well? What was my biggest disappointment? 
• What obstacles or challenges did I face, and what can I do differently this year to overcome them?
• Did I successfully implement work-life balance and allow enough time to rest or for my hobbies?
• What lessons did I learn over the past year that I want to implement this year?

I spend some time brainstorming and writing down the answers to these questions in my notebook as I go through my goals and projects. (The whole process is valuable to me as the answers to these questions will help me set my editing business goals for the next year.)

When I am done, I ask myself more questions about specific areas of my freelance editing business. I write down the answers to these questions in my notebook. I ask myself questions about the following areas of my editing business:

Content creation

• What kind of content got the best response from writers throughout the year (views, comments, likes)?
• What kind of content/topics do I want to create next year that will be most helpful to romance writers?

I do research and update my list of possible topics that writers will be interested in to write about this year (blog articles, social media posts).

Finances

• How much money did I make? 
• What can I do to sustain/increase my yearly income?
• How much money did I spend on supporting my business (tools, software, subscriptions, professional development, other expenses)?

I review and adjust my recurring expenses and plan my budget for next year. I am fairly organised and keep track of my financial data in Excel spreadsheets throughout the year, so this is a straightforward process for me.

Marketing

• Am I satisfied with my marketing efforts? 
• How can romance writers find me? What can I do to get more romance writers to find me? 
• How can I increase my social media presence and grow my newsletter list?

Professional development

• Am I satisfied with the progress I made as an editor and business owner throughout the past year?
• How would I like to improve myself as a developmental editor and business owner this year? 

I update the list of craft books, webinars and courses I would like to take.

Time

•  How much time did I invest in billable and not-billable projects (finding work, editing projects, branding, marketing, content creation, professional development, admin tasks, other projects)?  
• How much time did I take off (sickness, holidays)? 

I have summarised monthly data of the hours I spend on each project on my planner, so at the end of each year, I sum up this data to draw conclusions and make adjustments/changes for this year.

Over to you: 
Write down specific areas of your writing life that you want to reflect on and set writing goals for this year, such as writing projects, finances, marketing and professional development.
​Write down the answers to the questions above to effectively reflect on your writing life for the past year (you may need to adjust the questions to suit your writing needs).

Plan your goals for this year
Vision
I start making plans for this year by asking myself general questions about my editing business and the goals I would like to achieve this year.

• What are my values as an editor?
• What are my long-term and short-term goals?
• What are my priorities for this year (editing projects, finances, marketing, professional development, content creation)?
• How does success look for me in the new year, and what can I do to support this?

Over to you:
What does success look like to you for this year, and what writing goal are you most excited to achieve? Write down specific steps you need to take.

Declutter your brain
The next step I take to set my editing business goals for this year is to write down all my business goals in one long list. I write down everything that comes to mind with no particular order.
Business goals can be about the following areas:

• finding work
• finances
• branding
• marketing
• social media
• newsletter
• admin
• content creation (blog articles, posts)
• professional development (craft books, webinars, courses)
• work/life balance

After I make sure I write down everything that comes to mind, I prioritise the goals in my list using coloured pens. I assign a number to a colour, and I go through my goals ranking them from top priority to it’s not so important and can be done later. For example, 1=blue, top priority  2=purple, long-term priority  3=green, unimportant
You can choose whatever colour combinations you like or have available at the moment and create a colour-code system that makes sense to you. 

Over to you:
Write down a list of all the writing goals you want to achieve this year and prioritise them.

Time
The next step I take when setting my goals for this year is to figure out how much time I have available. I like to take a typical week and see how much available time I have. Once I take out any recurring tasks, appointments or obligations, I write down the available hours I have left in a typical week for my editing business.

I don’t assign any specific goals or projects yet. In this step, I just estimate how many hours I have in a typical week so that I can realistically plan my goals (in a later step).

Over to you: 
Estimate how much available time you have in a typical week for your writing goals.

Goals
The next step I take is to decide the goals for my editing business for this year. I look at the list of goals I wrote in a previous step, and I choose 3-5 long-term goals to focus on this year. Under each goal, I write down the projects I need to take to achieve them and an estimate of how many hours it will take me to complete them.

Over to you: 
Decide and write down 3 goals (and the projects you need to achieve each goal). For example, a writing goal includes writing a romance novel. Possible projects include:

• plan the story
• outline the story
• write the story
• edit the story
• publish the story

Projects
The final step I take is to write down the tasks I need to take to complete each project for my editing business. I write down the tasks I need to take under each project, and I estimate how many hours it will take me to complete each task.

Usually, I do this process in my digital-to-doist app. It is easier, faster and more convenient for me to write, move, delete and add tasks as needed in a specific project and assign them to specific dates or organise them into specific sections.

Over to you:
Write down the tasks you need to complete for each project and estimate how many hours they will take.
Example project: Plan my romance story
Possible tasks can include:

• Figure out the subgenres and tropes of the story
• Decide the theme of the story
• Create character profiles for the main characters 
• Decide point of view and tense
• Decide the setting of the story (place, time period)

Quarterly focus
When I finish my annual review and set my editing goals and projects for this year, I focus on the editing goals I want to complete in the first quarter of the year. 

I estimate the available time that I have for the quarter (based on the typical week estimates I did in a previous step) and choose the most important or urgent goals at the time.

Over to you:
Estimate how much available time you have in a quarter and choose the most important goals that fit your schedule.

Monthly focus
The next step I take is to set up the first month of the year (January) in my Erin Condren Weekly Life Planner (dashboard layout). On the calendar page, I write down any appointments, tasks or deadlines that need to happen or be completed by a certain date.

On the next 2 pages, I write down the monthly goals, projects and tasks. Also, I create a table that includes the projects of the month and the estimated time it will take me to complete them. I leave a blank space to write down the actual hours I will spend on each project at the end of the month. 

Over to you: 
Write down the writing goals, projects and tasks for the first month of the year.

Weekly focus
The next step I take is to set up the first week of January in my Erin Condren planner. On the left page of the planner, I write down any appointments or obligations that need to happen on a specific day of the week.

On the right page, I write down the weekly projects and tasks. In the notes section, I create a table and write down the weekly projects and the amount of time they will take. I write down every day how much time I devote to each project, and I sum up the total hours at the end of the week.

Over to you: 
Write down your weekly projects and tasks.

Quarterly review
Every quarter, I schedule some time for a quarterly review in my calendar.  Quarterly reviews help me check the progress I made on my long-term editing goals and effectively set goals for the next quarter.

I follow a similar procedure for my quarterly review. If possible, I make my quarterly review a few days before the next quarter begins.

Over to you:
Schedule time every quarter to check the progress you’ve made on your writing goals.

Conclusion
That’s it. That’s how I make my annual review and set my editing goals for my freelance editing business every year. I hope this process helps you reflect on the accomplishments you achieved in the past year and effectively set your writing goals for this year.
Happy planning!

Additional resources
3 types of writer goals you can set for the next year
My experience using the HB90 method for writers
How to write a novel in 90 days (writing challenge)
 Erin Condren Weekly Life Planners

It’s this time of the year again. It’s December, the last month of the year, which means it’s time to reflect on the year that has passed and set writing goals for the next year.
 
If you want to make a living from writing books, it is important to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and the areas that need improvement the next year. The best way to do that is to make an annual review to reflect on the past year and plan your goals and projects for next year.

Find the time 
Find the space and gather your materials
Reflect on this year
Plan your goals for next year
Plan the time
Quarterly review

Find the time 
Calculate how much time you will need for this year’s annual review. If you have done an annual review before, then you have an idea of how much time it will take you this year. Schedule the same amount of time for this year in your calendar.

If this is your first time making an annual review for your writing goals, calculate an estimated timeframe and schedule specific days and hours in your calendar which will be dedicated to the annual review.

Find the space and gather your materials
Find a clean, quiet space for the annual review. Your office desk or another space where you know you will not be interrupted and no one else uses can be the perfect space for you. 

Will you make your annual review in a digital software or a physical planner? Decide in advance and gather the necessary materials (software, tools, notebooks, planners) in your designated space.

Materials can include your laptop, digital to-do list, writing software, physical notebook, digital or physical planner, calendar and lots of pens and pencils. Buy in advance any materials to make sure you have everything you might need for the annual review.  

Reflect on this year
Now, it’s time to reflect on the writing goals and projects of the year that passed. Check your calendar, planner or to-do lists and see which goals and projects you have achieved this year.

Ask yourself the following questions and write down answers in a notebook. The answers to these questions will help you make more informed, realistic decisions for the new year.

•  What was your biggest success this year e.g publishing a book?
• What goals and projects have you achieved this year?
• Have your goals changed throughout the year, and why? Write down the reason your focus changed throughout the year.
• What was your biggest challenge for this year e.g self-editing your story?
• What things didn’t go well? What obstacles and challenges did you have this year? Write them down and note down ways in which you can overcome them next year. For example, if your biggest challenge was how to write down compelling, relatable characters for your romance story, then you might need to read more craft books about characters or take a related webinar.

Plan the time
Brainstorm and write down your writing goals for next year. Write down short-term and long-term goals. Make sure to write down specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-sensitive (SMART) goals so that it is easier for you to keep track of them and evaluate your progress throughout the year.

You can divide your goals into different areas of your writing life:
Writing projects 

• What writing projects do you want to write/edit/publish this year?
• What steps do you need to take to achieve this goal?

 
Finances

• How much money do you want to make as a writer the next year?
• What steps will you take to sustain/increase your monthly and yearly income?

Work/life balance

• Do you have enough time in a day to rest or devote to your hobbies?
• How can you improve your mental and physical health in the next year?

Professional development

• What would you like to do next year to improve yourself as a writer? Write down conferences you would like to attend, professional organisations you would like to join, courses and webinars you would like to take and craft books you would like to read.

Branding and marketing

• Are you satisfied with your branding and marketing efforts?
• Do you need to update your website or social media presence? Note down ways you can increase your followers in social media, the frequency of posts, possible topics to write about and how you can connect with other writers and readers (comments, shares, likes).

Plan the time
Decide how many hours a month you will devote to your writing goals and projects. See how much time you have available each month and decide what tasks or projects you plan to do.

Estimate how much time each task or project will take. For example, you might plan to write for 30 minutes each day,  read a craft book each week or take a course each month. Once you decide the amount of time each task or project will take, schedule them in your calendar.

Be realistic about the goals you can achieve and the time you have for each goal and project. Don’t try to do all the things at the same time, as it might eventually lead to burnout. Instead, for example, focus on one writing project or take one course at a time to improve yourself in a topic you feel you struggle with the most. 

Quarterly review
Now that you have set your writing goals and completed your annual review, schedule some time for quarterly reviews in your calendar. Quarterly reviews will help you check on the progress you make on your goals and make sure you stay on track with your projects throughout the year.

Remember that your writing goals might change, and you might need to let go of some of the projects that are no longer important or relevant to you, which is totally fine. You can always adjust your plan and focus on the next steps in achieving your writing goals.

Additional resources
3 types of writer goals you can set for the next year
My experience using the HB90 method for writers
How to write a novel in 90 days (writing challenge)

According to the Cambridge dictionary, “writer’s block is the condition of being unable to create a piece of written work because something in your mind prevents you from doing it”. 

Writers are often afraid that they are not good enough and that readers and publishers won’t like their books. Writer’s block can last from a few days to a few weeks or even months.


4 reasons writers have writer’s block
5 ways to overcome writer’s block
Take a break and do something else
Change your writing environment
Outline each chapter before you write 
Join a writer’s group
Set clear goals and create a consistent writing routine 

4 reasons writers have writer’s block
Writers often experience writer’s block because of the 4 reasons mentioned below:
1) Writers are anxious and afraid that their story is not good enough and they keep revising the same chapter over and over again to make it “perfect”, and don’t make any progress in their fiction story. 

2) Writers are struck with writing-related tasks, but they are not actually writing their story, like creating character profiles, writing chapter outlines and doing research. They are convinced that they must know every single detail of their characters, plot and world before they start writing the first scene of their story, while in reality, they are anxious about their story idea and spend countless hours procrastinating and doubting themselves and their story.

3) Writers get easily excited and inspired with new story ideas, especially when they are stuck in their current manuscript, and the new story idea seems easier and better to them. As a result, they abandon their current fiction story and never finish writing their fiction story.

4) Lastly, writers often wait for inspiration before they start writing their story. Writers often don’t realise that writing is not only about inspiration, but it’s also about discipline, hard work, dedication and showing up every single day to make progress in their story.

5 ways to overcome writer’s block

Take a break and do something else
You are struck, and you don’t know how to continue your story. You have revised the chapter so many times, but something feels wrong to you. Take a break from your fiction story and do something else to relax. Your subconscious mind will keep working on how to fix the specific issue in your fiction story, and you will eventually figure out the solution.

What to do instead:

• watch movies or read books in a similar genre to your writing project to get inspiration
• listen to your favorite songs
• exercise
• go out with friends
• try a new hobby such as drawing, crocheting, cooking, or playing video games 

Change your writing environment
A visual change might help you with writer’s block. If you are usually writing in your home office, try writing in another room of your house or in your favorite cafe. Get your laptop and your notes with you, and go to a cafe for a couple of hours to write the next chapters of your manuscript.

Don’t forget to bring noise-cancelling headphones with you to listen to your favorite music for inspiration. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee and dessert, and make a great writing day for yourself.

Outline each chapter before you write 
Another way to overcome writer’s block is to outline each scene. Take a few minutes at the start of each writing session to outline the scene you are writing next. Take a few minutes to read the previous scene (without editing anything), look at your notes and write in bullet points the 2-3 most important events that need to happen in the particular scene.

The whole process of outlining your scene shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes, and your outline should act as a guide for you to write your scene. You can repeat this process for every scene of your fiction story.

Join a writer’s group
Search online for a writing partner or a writer’s group to overcome writer’s block. You can find other writers by joining your local writer’s group, by attending writing workshops and classes or by joining writer’s groups on social media. 

Connecting with other writers will help you stay accountable, and you can brainstorm and solve potential issues about each other’s stories, make writer friends and find the motivation you need to finally finish your manuscript.

Set clear goals and create a consistent writing routine 
One of the most important ways to overcome writer’s block is to set clear writing goals and create a consistent writing routine.
Your writing goal can be:

• task-based (define how much progress to make by the end of the writing session)
• timed-based (define how many hours a day to dedicate to a writing session)
• word count based (define how many words a day to write in a writing session)

Define and write down your writing goal. Then, check your calendar and see when you have free time to write.

Don’t discourage yourself if you can’t find long hours to write. Even 30 minutes a day is fine. The most important thing is to write every day to keep the momentum going and create a consistent writing routine.

​Calculate how many days it will take you to finish the current draft of your manuscript and mark the deadline in your calendar.

Conclusion   
Writer’s block is a common condition that many writers have. Writers are afraid and anxious that their manuscript will never be good enough, and they are waiting for the inspiration or the “perfect” idea to come, and never manage to finish their story.

You’re not alone. There are dozens of writers who experience the same issue as you. Writing is a skill that takes practice and time to improve. Try the different ways mentioned above to overcome writer’s block and see what makes you more excited, productive, and inspired to finish your story. Happy writing!

Additional resources
3 types of writer goals to set in 2025
How to create a consistent writing routine
How to become more productive and write stories faster
What type of writer are you: pantser vs plotter vs plantser

Writing a romance novel is hard. It takes a lot of time, energy, determination, discipline and patience. Sometimes writers (especially new writers) get overwhelmed by the number of tasks that they need to do, or get lost in their story without knowing how to approach their story idea or what steps to take to finish their story.

This blog article is intended to help all romance writers develop a straightforward process to successfully outline and write their romance novel in 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Subgenre and tropes
Step 2: Main character(s) and create character profiles
Step 3: Story structure and chapter outlines
Step 4: Setting and main locations
Step 5:  Start writing

Step 1: Subgenre and tropes
Before you decide your romance subgenre and tropes, it’s important to define what a romance story is.

Romance is a very broad category and one of the most popular genres in fiction.  A story is considered to belong to the romance genre when the romantic relationship between the main characters takes the centre of the story, and the story has a happy ending. If the story doesn’t have these 2 requirements, then it is not a romance story.

The romance genre can be divided into many subgenres. Some of the most popular genres are contemporary romance, YA romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, romantasy, romantic suspense, LGBTQ+ romance, romantic comedy, and regency romance.

If you are not sure which subgenre your story is or how to write a book in a specific subgenre, read books in that subgenre. The best way to learn more about how to write romance books is to read romance books.

When you decide your romance sungenre, it’s time to choose the tropes of your romance story. A trope is a plot device that is used to create stories familiar to readers. Combine 2-3 main tropes in fresh ways to create an engaging story with compelling characters.

 Some of the most popular tropes for romance stories are:

• sports romance
• workplace romance
•  billionaires
• enemies to lovers
• friends to lovers
•  marriage of convenience
• pretend relationship/marriage
• forced proximity
• second chance romance
• fated mates
• shapeshifter romance
• grumpy vs sunshine
• forbidden romance
• love triangle
• small town romance

Now, it’s time to decide the theme of your story. The theme is the message of your story. It is the lesson that the main character(s) learns at the end of the story that changes their perspective about themselves or the world around them. The theme must be universal, so that people regardless of age, gender, location and culture can relate to it. 

​The main theme of romance stories is “love conquers all”, where the main characters must overcome their internal flaws and external obstacles to be happily together by the end of the story. 

​What does “love conquer” in your story? Romance stories usually have specific themes related to the specific flaw the main character needs to overcome and learn by the end of the story. For example, does the main character need to forgive themselves for a traumatic past event, trust that others won’t betray them or fight against an injustice? The possibilities are endless, and it’s up to you to decide the specific theme of your story.

Step 2: Main character(s) and create character profiles
How many main characters does your story have? How many pov characters does your story have? The pov characters in romance stories are usually one or both of the main characters (love interests) of the story. Make sure to decide your main characters and pov characters before starting to write your story.

Once you decide on your main characters, write down some important information about your characters.  Create character profiles and include all the necessary information about all the characters of the story.

Include your characters’ 3 most important elements:

• goal, motivation and flaw. The main character(s) needs to have an important and tangible goal that they want to achieve by the end of the story. Think about why this goal is important for them, what will happen if they don’t achieve their goal(motivation) and what are the internal flaws and external obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goal.

In your character profiles, you can also include their:

• name and age
• occupation
• nationality
• location
• personality
• physical appearance
• important past events
• relationship with other characters

 Character profiles are a great way to help you write consistent, meaningful and fleshed-out characters. If you want to learn more about them, read why authors need character profiles.  

Step 3: Story structure and chapter outlines
Once you find who your main characters are, create a separate document and start brainstorming the structure of your romance story.

I highly recommend using Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes while you are outlining your romance story.  Romancing the Beat is a popular story-structure guide that shows writers how to structure their romance story in 15 beats using the three-act structure.

If you want to learn more about how to outline your romance story using Romancing the Beat, read the blog article on how to write a romance novel using the three-act structure.

After you write down the story structure of your story, you can further outline your story by creating chapter outlines. Your chapter outlines can be as short or long as you want. For example, your chapter outlines can include only the main events of each chapter in bullet points, or each chapter can include long paragraphs with detailed descriptions and story events. Do what is more comfortable and helpful to you.

Step 4: Setting and main locations
Decide on the general setting of your story and write as many details as possible. Does your story take place in a big city, a small town or another planet? Is it a real or a fictional place? The choice of your setting depends on the subgenre of your story. 

After you decide the general setting of your story, you also need to decide specific locations. For example, some story events may happen in the main characters’ houses and their workplaces, or in cafes, restaurants and shops, depending on what kind of romance story you are writing. Make sure to note down any important elements of your setting and locations so that you can consistently describe them throughout your story.

Step 5:  Start writing
Once you have decided your genre and tropes, main characters, story structure and setting of your writing project, it’s time to start writing your story. 

Find the best time of day for you to sit down and write your story. Note down on a calendar your work hours, obligations and appointments and look at the available time you have left each day. Note the available time in your calendar as your writing time.  

Try to write for at least 1 hour a day, but don’t discourage yourself if unexpected obligations keep you away from your allotted writing time. 

You can also create a timeline by writing down all the writing, editing and publishing tasks of your writing project and estimating how much time each task will take.

​Schedule monthly and weekly tasks and regularly check your writing progress to stay on track. If you want to learn more information, read how to create a consistent writing routine and finish writing your story. 

Conclusion
Finishing writing and publishing a book can take months or even years. Don’t discourage yourself and don’t give up. Writing is a skill that takes practice and time to improve. Experiment and find your writing style. Be flexible and build habits that work for you. Write every day. Keep the momentum going and make your writing goals come true! Happy writing!

Additional resources
Why authors need character profiles
How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure
How to create a consistent writing routine
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Writing a novel is hard. It takes a lot of time and energy. Often, writers don’t know where to start or how to write their story.

This blog article explains how writers can choose their writing project, schedule their time, set realistic writing goals and create a productive space that will inspire them to write their best story yet.

Choose your writing project
Schedule your time
Set realistic and flexible goals
Create a productive space

Choose your writing project
You have a lot of different story ideas that you want to write and publish, but you don’t know which one to start next. You might want to write all of them at the same time, but there are only 24 hours in a day, and there is a limit to what one can do.

You have to prioritise your story ideas and decide which one to start first. One way to decide which story idea to develop first is to look at your notes (main characters, plot points, setting) and see which story idea makes you feel more excited and inspired.

I recommend writing one story at a time, especially if you are a new writer. Dealing with multiple projects might get you excited in the beginning, but you might get frustrated and overwhelmed about the number of tasks you need to complete. 

If you are a seasoned writer, you might be more comfortable working with multiple writing projects at the same time, especially if you have a clear picture in mind about the tasks you need to complete.

Schedule your time
Find the best time of day for you to sit down and write your story. Note down on a calendar or a todoist application your work hours, obligations and appointments and look at the available time you have left each day.Note the available time in your calendar as your writing time. 

Write every single day. Write while you are waiting to pick up your kid from an activity or while you are waiting for an appointment using your phone or a notebook. Even 10-15 minutes can make a difference. The time and the words will eventually add up.

Set realistic and flexible goals
Are you a pantser? Do you prefer to sit down and write the story as it comes to you with minimal or no notes at all? To let your imagination and creativity lead you as you write the story? 
OR
Are you a plotter? Do you prefer to know everything about your story beforehand? To create detailed story and character arcs, character sketches and beat sheets with subplots and write down chapter-by-chapter summaries? Or maybe you are somewhere in between? 

Brainstorm and write down the tasks you need to complete to finish your story. Write all the outlining, writing, editing and publishing tasks that come into your mind in a notebook or a todoist application.

Write down all the tasks you know you will do for now. You can always come back later to add, change or delete tasks.  You can put your tasks into categories (outlining, writing, editing, publishing) and be as specific or detailed as you want.
Possible tasks may include:

• Do research about the setting of the story
• Write down the character profiles of the main characters
• Write 1,000 words every day
• Edit a scene per day
• Send query letters to publishers

Once you write down all the tasks you need to do to finish your story, you can estimate how much time each task will take and come up with a rough deadline. Since finishing your story will take a lot of time (possibly months or years), be flexible in your estimates and keep in mind that your deadline might change.

Also, I recommend breaking down your story into milestones and rewarding yourself for each milestone to keep yourself inspired and motivated. Possible milestones include:

• Finish outlining your story (research, character profiles, chapter summaries)
• Write the first draft of the story 
• Edit the first draft of the story
• Publishing your story

Possible rewards include going on a day trip with friends and family, visiting your favourite bookstore or going to a restaurant with friends to celebrate your success.

Create a productive space
Find a quiet and clean writing space. It can be your office desk, the kitchen table, the garden table or anywhere else you want. This will be your designated writing space. Set it up beforehand so that it is ready for you to write every day. Gather all the things you need in your writing space before you sit down to write, such as water, snacks or notes. 

Make sure that no one interrupts you while you are writing your story. Tell your friends and family that that the particular chunk of time is dedicated to your writing and not to disturb you at that time (unless absolutely necessary).

Shut down all other electronic devices that might distract you from writing, and tidy up your desk.  Move your mobile phone to another room and have only the computer that you are working on your story with you.

You can also light a candle and wear noise-cancelling headphones to avoid outside noise and distractions. Turn on your favorite music or a playlist that suits the vibe and genre of your story to inspire your writing sessions and keep you focused.

Conclusion
Writing is a skill that takes practice and time to improve. Try different outlining, writing and editing approaches and see what makes you more excited, productive, and creative to finish your story. Be flexible and build habits that work for you. 

​Write every single day. Inspiration may get you to start your novel, but discipline will help you finish it. Keep the momentum going and make your writing goals come true! Happy writing!

Further reading
What type of writer are you: pantser vs plotter vs plantser
How to create a consistent writing routine
3 types of writer goals to set in 2025

The HB90 method is a quarterly planning and goal-setting system primarily for writers, although everyone who feels stressed, overwhelmed or lost can follow this method to set up quarterly goals, projects and tasks. 

The HB90 method is created by contemporary fantasy author Sara Cannon who shows how she uses this method to set up her quarterly goals and projects in her YouTube channel called Heart Breathings. 

The HB90 method can help you set and achieve goals, projects and tasks for 90 days. Once your projects and tasks are ready, you can assign the projects and tasks that you wish to complete each month.

​This method helps you keep track of the projects and tasks you complete each quarter and estimate how much time you need to allocate to complete each project. 
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This blog article explains:
The HB90 method planner
The HB90 Bootcamp
My experience with the HB90 method
Conclusion

The HB90 method planner
Sara has an HB90 method planner in printable and digital versions. The planner includes over 50 goal-setting pages with instructions on how to:

• prioritise 3 goals for the quarter
• realistically estimate how much time you can devote to your goals 
• figure out how much available time you have each month and week
•  brainstorm the projects and the tasks that you need to assign to each goal
•  figure out how much time you need to complete each project

Once you figure out your goals, projects and tasks, you can move on to the first month of the planner where you can note important dates or notes and plan each week by assigning your projects and tasks.

The HB90 planner also includes weekly spreads and daily pages to help you keep track of your progress and note down appointments and notes.

The planner has weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews to help you reflect on the previous week/month/ quarter, keep track of your progress and help you plan for the next quarter.

HB90 Bootcamp
Sara offers the HB90 Bootcamp, a 7-day course that is designed to teach you to be more productive, feel less stressed and take control of your professional and personal life.

The HB90 Bootcamp is for everyone (not just writers) who wants to:

• be more productive, feel less stressed and be in control over their life and their schedule
• struggling to find the energy to complete their goals or follow their dreams
• feel like working too hard but never manage to finish their projects

The course opens for enrollment every March, June, September and December to prepare for the next quarter.  All the recording videos and exercises are available to watch at any time. Students have lifetime access to the course and they can join a private Facebook group for course alumni.

Disclaimer: I haven’t taken the course and therefore I can’t recommend it. However, people who have taken the course highly recommend it because it helped them plan and organise their goals and projects, take control of their lives and be more productive. Do your own research and see if the HB90 Bootcamp suits your needs.

My experience with the HB90 method 
“The good”
December 2022. I quit my first job as an English Language teacher and decided to become a freelance fiction editor. There were so many projects and tasks I needed to do to prepare for my fiction editing business and I knew I had to find a way to organise everything and stay on top of my schedule.

I ultimately found Heartbreathings on YouTube and watched (a lot of ) YouTube videos about the HB90 method. I wanted to get organised as soon as possible so I purchased the undated printable planner and started using the HB90 method in December.

My initial goal was to use this planner from December until March and then buy the dated planner for the next quarter. I started setting up my goals, projects and tasks and then filled my weekly tasks week after week.

The planner was great. It gave me the organisation, clarity, and control I needed. I could track my progress and see myself finishing tasks and making progress on my goals.

“The bad”
The system was great for me and it was working. The planner wasn’t though and I stopped using it at the end of February. Why? Because the printable aspect of the planner wasn’t for me. Although I liked the physical aspect of the planner, it was taking me too much time to move, add, and delete projects and tasks as needed.

That’s when I discovered that I needed a digital method or software to plan and organise my goals and projects. I went online and found Todoist, a do-list task manager where you can plan your projects and tasks. I bought a yearly subscription to the Pro plan in April 2023. I added all my goals and tasks in Todoist and I started using it. 

I used Todoist for a couple of months and I realised I was back where I was in December of 2022. I had a list of my projects and tasks without a clear plan on how to prioritise them, no clear deadlines and no efficient way to track the progress of my projects. Todoist was great but it wasn’t enough.

The aha moment
December 2023. That’s when it happened. The big realisation. I needed the HB90 method in combination with Todoist.

I bought the yearly HB90 method goal planner. The planner includes only the goal-setting pages, the monthly pages and the tasks pages with no weekly spreads or daily pages.

​I also bought the 2024 Digital Doodle planner by  AmandaRachLee and I use the weekly, the habit and the mood tracker pages. Also, I use Todoist as my Kanbard board and calendar. 

​The combination of the two digital planners and Todoist is great for me. It is exactly what I need. I use the HB90 method with the 2 planners and Todoist. I can efficiently plan my goals, track my projects and complete my tasks. I stay organised and in control of my life.

Conclusion
Learning from the planning and organising mistakes of 2024, I already have in mind some adjustments I want to make while using the HB90 method planner for the next year. 

I am thinking of using the digital (landscape) undated HB90 method quarterly planner and Todoist. This planner includes goal-setting pages, monthly spreads, weekly spreads and daily pages and it seems perfect for my planning needs. I will continue using Todoist as a Kanbard board and calendar. 

I plan to take some time off during the Christmas holidays to brainstorm 2024, think about potential goals for 2025 and plan for the first quarter of 2025. I am not planning on buying the HB90 Bootcamp course.

What about you? What kind of planning and organising system are you using? Have you tried the HB90 method or would you like to try it for 2025?
Leave a comment below and tell me what you think about the HB90 method!

If you would like to see more similar blog articles, make sure to leave a comment and share the blog article on your favourite social media!

Further reading
3 types of writer goals you can set in 2025
How to create a consistent writing routine and finish your book 
How Sara plans her week using the HB90 method (YouTube)
The HB90 method planners on Etsy
The HB90 Bootcamp
AmandaRachLee’s products (planners, notebooks, bags, stickers and washi tapes)
Todoist

​It’s almost the end of 2024. As I am writing this blog article at the beginning of November, I realise that there are only 2 months left for this year. When did time pass so far? 

At the end of each year, I  can’t stop being retrospective. I am thinking about the goals  I set at the beginning of 2024, the goals I achieved, and the ones I would like to achieve for the new year.
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I plan to take some time off at the end of December to think about the goals and the projects I achieved in 2024 and make plans for 2025. What about you? What are your writer goals for 2025?

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Why it is important to set goals
 Setting goals at the beginning of each new year is important because it gives writers a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment about all the writing projects they made progress or completed in the previous year. Also, writers can learn from their planning mistakes and set realistic and achievable goals for the new year.

Setting short-term and long-term goals for their writing projects can help writers be focused, track their writing process, develop their writing skills and find the motivation to meet the deadlines for their writing projects.

This blog  article explains 3 types of writer goals writers can set for the new year:
Word-based goals
Task-based goals
Time-based goals

Word-based goals
Word-based goals are particularly useful when the writers are in the drafting phase of their manuscripts. Some writers like to write a set number of words per day or per writing session while others like to write a certain number of words or pages by a specific date.

Writers like to track their writing progress by noting down the number of words they write each day. Some writers like to join writing sprints with other writing friends and increase their word count through friendly competition.

Writers who set word-based goals need to ask themselves how many words they can write every day and the total word count of their writing project so that they can come up with an estimated deadline. Knowing the estimated deadline can give them motivation to show up every day for their writing session and finish their writing projects.

Examples of word-based goals:

• Write 1000 words every day
• Write 10,000 words every week
• Write 50,000 words in one month
• Write 80,000 words in 2 months

Task-based goals
Other writers prefer to track their writing progress with task-based goals. For example, a writer might want to write a romance novel in 2025. They might have a busy and irregular schedule and they can’t set a specific amount of time or word count goal.

Instead, they divide their writing project into manageable tasks and put each task under each stage: outlining, writing, editing and publishing. The tasks can be as small or as big as the writer wishes, taking from one day to several weeks to be completed and they can be divided into subtasks.

Examples of task-based goals:

• Fill up character profiles for the main characters
• Write the first draft of the manuscript 
• Write down the main issues of the first draft in a separate document
• Find beta readers to read my book

Time-based goals
Some writers may have a limited or specific amount of time each day because of their busy schedule so they prefer to set time-based goals.

Also, time-based goals might be more suitable for beginner writers who want to create a consistent writing routine and improve their writing skills and writing speed. They might only have 15 minutes before an appointment or 30 minutes during lunch break. They don’t stop writing until the allocated time is finished. They don’t mind leaving a scene or a chapter unfinished.

Examples of time-based goals:

• Write for 15 minutes while commuting
• Write for 20 minutes before an appointment
• Write every day for 30 minutes during lunch break
• Write for 30 minutes before going to bed

Conclusion
What type of writer goals will you set for the new year? Are you the kind of writer that combines some or all the types of writer goals? For example, you might want to write one scene (task-based goal) every day (time-based goal) or write 5000 words (word-based goal) each week (time-based goal). 

Or perhaps you don’t like having writing goals at all. You might be a beginner writer who doesn’t like writing schedules or deadlines and prefers to write whenever you want to as long as you want to.

No matter what type of writer goals you plan to set for the next year, don’t overestimate yourself. Create realistic and achievable goals based on your schedule and your lifestyle. Don’t stress yourself to meet unrealistic expectations or deadlines. Know your boundaries and make sure you rest and have a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

What are your writing goals for the new year?  Are you writing a new novel? Are you editing the story you wrote this year? Are you preparing to publish your story? Comment below.
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If you would like to see more similar blog articles, make sure to leave a comment and share the blog article on your favourite social media!
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Further reading
How to create a consistent writing routine
How to write a novel in 90 days (writing challenge)
What type of writer are you: pantser vs plotter vs plantser