January is a time when we often vow to take up new behaviors and shed old ones. We diet, eat better, exercise. And for writers, January becomes a time when newbies pledge themselves to starting a new project — such as a novel — that they’ve always wanted to do.

The trouble is that changing behaviors, or adding new ones, is challenging. Too often people don’t consider what’s involved in making changes. Sometimes they don’t give themselves the best chance of meeting those goals.

One way that new writers sabotage their progress is by imposing on themselves a high word count quota that someone new to the work can’t hope to meet. No question, quotas can keep many writers on track. But if you’re just starting out, how do you know what would be a reasonable word count for you?

I understand the impulse of shooting too high, mind you. If we writers didn’t invent procrastination, we certainly keep it alive in us. What else could explain why so many wordsmiths eagerly do laundry, or clean kitchens, or plan dinners, before they begin to write.

The blank page, especially when you’re not yet used to filling it, can be intimidating. But an unmet quota that keeps growing, and getting further out of reach, won’t just intimidate you, there’s too great a chance it will immobilize you.

Have you ever joined a gym after a long period of not working out? Did you really throw yourself into it? And did you injure your out-of-shape muscles and lose time if you were forced to rest? (BTW, that’s not a judgment. I have been and remain a marshmallow.)

I used to have an inspirational poster that I kept until the paper started becoming dust. I kept it that long because of how profoundly the message struck me. It read: “The race doesn’t always go to the swift, but to those who keep running.”

If your writing goal involves a long project, such as a novel or nonfiction book, give yourself the chance to develop your writing muscles. After you do, then you can think about establishing a word-count goal, and only if you’ve discovered an effective way of motivating yourself. When I’m working on a deadline, it’s enough for me to simply record my daily word count, without imposing a specific quota. My own compulsiveness makes me keep the numbers high.

So, give yourself a chance to learn, and the freedom to write at your own pace before you take on more stringent goals. Your future book will thank you.

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