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Writers' Guide Series #1
Goal Setting for Writers. How to set and achieve your writing goals, finally write a book, and become a successful author
Writing a book is on the bucket list of millions of people worldwide, but very few actually finish their book or manage to fulfill other writing dreams such as making a living as a writer.
Many writers fail because they don’t know how to set effective writing goals and how to develop an action plan that will turn their dreams into reality.
Whether you are a complete newbie just thinking about writing your first book or a multi-published author dreaming of becoming a full-time writer or somewhere in between, this book will help you to:
- Learn the difference between dreams and goals,
- Turn your dreams into effective, realistic writing goals,
- Discover what matters most to you about your writing,
- Break down your goals into bite-sized chunks that you can achieve more easily, even if you don’t have much time to write,
- Create an action plan that guides you through every step of the writing and publishing process, from brainstorming ideas to marketing,
- Overcome procrastination, writer’s block, and other obstacles that keep you from finishing your book.
Many writers fail because they don’t know how to set effective writing goals and how to develop an action plan that will turn their dreams into reality.
Whether you are a complete newbie just thinking about writing your first book or a multi-published author dreaming of becoming a full-time writer or somewhere in between, this book will help you to:
- Learn the difference between dreams and goals,
- Turn your dreams into effective, realistic writing goals,
- Discover what matters most to you about your writing,
- Break down your goals into bite-sized chunks that you can achieve more easily, even if you don’t have much time to write,
- Create an action plan that guides you through every step of the writing and publishing process, from brainstorming ideas to marketing,
- Overcome procrastination, writer’s block, and other obstacles that keep you from finishing your book.
ebook
First published March 16, 2015
80 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Gerth
15 books35 followersSandra Gerth is a writer and an editor who divides her time between writing her own books and helping other writers revise and polish theirs.
She holds a degree in psychology and worked as a psychologist for eight years before transitioning into a career as a full-time novelist—the best job in the world as far as she’s concerned.
She earned a certificate in editing from the Academy of German Book Trade and is now the senior editor of Ylva Publishing, a small press that publishes women’s fiction.
Under her pen name, Jae, she has published twelve novels and about two dozen short stories. Her books have won numerous awards and have been #1 bestsellers on Amazon on various occasions.
She’s also the author of a series of books for writers
She holds a degree in psychology and worked as a psychologist for eight years before transitioning into a career as a full-time novelist—the best job in the world as far as she’s concerned.
She earned a certificate in editing from the Academy of German Book Trade and is now the senior editor of Ylva Publishing, a small press that publishes women’s fiction.
Under her pen name, Jae, she has published twelve novels and about two dozen short stories. Her books have won numerous awards and have been #1 bestsellers on Amazon on various occasions.
She’s also the author of a series of books for writers
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 26, 2022
As the title so aptly suggests, this is a non-fiction title focused on setting achievable and timely goals. Despite centring specifically on creative goals, I feel this could be adapted for those wishing to achieve anything they desire.
I was much impressed with the first portion of this book, which detailed how the breakdown for the acronym of SMARTER goals worked and how to incorporate the three P's (personal, present, and positive) into them. It also provided a incisive step to conclude each chapter, that allowed the reader to put each portion of knowledge into direct action.
The sections following this were of less use to me, personally. Twenty pages were spent outlining the action steps needed for writing a fiction novel and a further twenty for non-fiction. I understand the nature was to be concise, but I found the steps far too vague to be of much practical use. A mere paragraph followed the headings of 'outline', 'characters', 'world-building' etc. when I feel these require far greater research and focus before the process of penning the actual novel can begin. I do have a tendency to over-plan and get bogged down in detail however, and this was also not the information I was looking to gain from this title, so perhaps others will find much use from the succinct insights provided here.
The book closed with an overview of all that had come before, as well as a plethora of other information on rewards, planning - including the types of planners and the benefits of each - links to some handy apps or articles, and so much more. I found these of more interest than the preceding section but the initial segment of this still remained the most beneficial, for me.
I was much impressed with the first portion of this book, which detailed how the breakdown for the acronym of SMARTER goals worked and how to incorporate the three P's (personal, present, and positive) into them. It also provided a incisive step to conclude each chapter, that allowed the reader to put each portion of knowledge into direct action.
The sections following this were of less use to me, personally. Twenty pages were spent outlining the action steps needed for writing a fiction novel and a further twenty for non-fiction. I understand the nature was to be concise, but I found the steps far too vague to be of much practical use. A mere paragraph followed the headings of 'outline', 'characters', 'world-building' etc. when I feel these require far greater research and focus before the process of penning the actual novel can begin. I do have a tendency to over-plan and get bogged down in detail however, and this was also not the information I was looking to gain from this title, so perhaps others will find much use from the succinct insights provided here.
The book closed with an overview of all that had come before, as well as a plethora of other information on rewards, planning - including the types of planners and the benefits of each - links to some handy apps or articles, and so much more. I found these of more interest than the preceding section but the initial segment of this still remained the most beneficial, for me.
February 18, 2021
There are many writers today who profess to be experts on the craft and able to teach the aspiring writers how to write and get published. As a rule, far too many of those writers are simply playing on the aspiring writer’s desire to become published writers. Those writers talk the talk but have never walked the walk. Sandra Gerth is one of the few true exceptions to that rule. Sandra has walked the walk and teaches from experience.
Every writer, aspiring and experienced alike, needs to have Sandra Gerth’s Writer Guides Series on their craft reference bookshelf. I’m a professional technical writer with over forty years experience ghostwriting books and articles for clients in the electric and electronics industries, and I can say unequivocally that I wish I had this series when I was just starting out. In this series, Sandra teaches the beginner all those things that I had to learn the hard way through trial and error.
Goal Setting for Writers, Book one in the Writers Guide Series is all about the differences between dreams and goals. It’s all about setting goals. It’s all about setting not just SMART Goals, but SMARTER Goals. SMARTER is an acronym (I love acronyms) that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Evaluated, Rewarded.
Goal Setting for Writers isn’t just another craft’s book to be read. It’s a practice workbook too. The author has included exercises that will help the reader put into practice what he/she is reading about. If you only have time to read one craft book this month, you need to make Goal Setting for Writers by Sandra Gerth that one book. You will be glad that you did.
Every writer, aspiring and experienced alike, needs to have Sandra Gerth’s Writer Guides Series on their craft reference bookshelf. I’m a professional technical writer with over forty years experience ghostwriting books and articles for clients in the electric and electronics industries, and I can say unequivocally that I wish I had this series when I was just starting out. In this series, Sandra teaches the beginner all those things that I had to learn the hard way through trial and error.
Goal Setting for Writers, Book one in the Writers Guide Series is all about the differences between dreams and goals. It’s all about setting goals. It’s all about setting not just SMART Goals, but SMARTER Goals. SMARTER is an acronym (I love acronyms) that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Evaluated, Rewarded.
Goal Setting for Writers isn’t just another craft’s book to be read. It’s a practice workbook too. The author has included exercises that will help the reader put into practice what he/she is reading about. If you only have time to read one craft book this month, you need to make Goal Setting for Writers by Sandra Gerth that one book. You will be glad that you did.
January 24, 2019
I am very pleased to start saying that this is a very useful book. It is a detailed guide to give writers, mostly new writers a starting point and some guidelines to achieve goals, as well as how to become a published author. I like the structure and how Sandra points in a very clear and precise way how the writing goals can be achieved. It's easy and can work to accomplish another kind of goals in life.
It's about how to start, management of time, find a structure that keeps you focus and basically what needs to be done in order to reach those writing goals. She tells us how to go from a dream to an achievable action, being the word action, the key word. Because she provides examples, advice and exercises to go through as you read. Therefore, if you follow the advice and work on the exercises, at the end of the reading you would probably have started to write.
It's very inspirational and easy to follow. I'm a methodical person and I think this is a very useful tool for time management and setting clear, reachable goals.
I highly recommend this book, not only for those who want to start writing or being published, but for those who want to achieve their goals.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
It's about how to start, management of time, find a structure that keeps you focus and basically what needs to be done in order to reach those writing goals. She tells us how to go from a dream to an achievable action, being the word action, the key word. Because she provides examples, advice and exercises to go through as you read. Therefore, if you follow the advice and work on the exercises, at the end of the reading you would probably have started to write.
It's very inspirational and easy to follow. I'm a methodical person and I think this is a very useful tool for time management and setting clear, reachable goals.
I highly recommend this book, not only for those who want to start writing or being published, but for those who want to achieve their goals.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
January 18, 2019
As an aspiring writer, reading this book on goal setting has been a great help to me. Sandra has great advice and has kindly explained it in this book in a way I actually found easy to follow.
Breaking down the steps into sections, and providing exercises to help you put the advice given into practice was more beneficial than any other goal setting advice I have read in blogs. It really engaged me as a reader and made the information, and goal setting topics covered easy to process and really put into action.
A great resource and help to anyone looking to really streamline there dream of becoming a writer, and actually achieve this in a manageable way. There is literally something in here for any type of writer, or lifestyle to which you are trying to achieve dreams of writing for either a living or just for fun.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone starting out on a writing journey, or who just want to take the process to being published to the next level, and really achieve.
Breaking down the steps into sections, and providing exercises to help you put the advice given into practice was more beneficial than any other goal setting advice I have read in blogs. It really engaged me as a reader and made the information, and goal setting topics covered easy to process and really put into action.
A great resource and help to anyone looking to really streamline there dream of becoming a writer, and actually achieve this in a manageable way. There is literally something in here for any type of writer, or lifestyle to which you are trying to achieve dreams of writing for either a living or just for fun.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone starting out on a writing journey, or who just want to take the process to being published to the next level, and really achieve.
January 21, 2019
I found this book incredibly engaging. As a relatively new writer, I’ve read quite a few books on the topic, mostly toward the craft aspect and it was refreshing to read one specific to goal setting for writers.
Sandra offers solid examples and helpful ways to not only achieve goals but to set up an action plan and decipher if your goals are attainable or specific enough. She also explains how to convert those attainable goals into SMARTER goals, providing templates to build your own action plan for your goals geared directly to writing. Each chapter is broken down into easy to follow steps with her own examples and ends the chapters with recommended resources pertaining to the information.
Regardless of your preferred genre, whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this book is a fantastic resource to help you achieve your writing goals. I will definitely be looking into the rest of her books in this writing series.
I was lucky enough to receive this ARC for a review.
Sandra offers solid examples and helpful ways to not only achieve goals but to set up an action plan and decipher if your goals are attainable or specific enough. She also explains how to convert those attainable goals into SMARTER goals, providing templates to build your own action plan for your goals geared directly to writing. Each chapter is broken down into easy to follow steps with her own examples and ends the chapters with recommended resources pertaining to the information.
Regardless of your preferred genre, whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this book is a fantastic resource to help you achieve your writing goals. I will definitely be looking into the rest of her books in this writing series.
I was lucky enough to receive this ARC for a review.
January 13, 2019
This is the kind of book I will go back to again and again as I go through my writing process. Sandra Gerth gives us a step-by-step guide on how to realise our goals. She makes us see that it’s great to have dreams but to make them a reality we first have to decide on achievable goals and work on them.
I loved how she breaks everything down into achievable goals and made me be more specific about what I really want. And she makes the writer think about themselves, what is important and relevant to them. The task seems more manageable and realistic. Planning how to get that book written doesn’t seem such a daunting task . I can see me following a lot of the advice
She also gives plenty of advice on other books to read for further information and links to online resources that expand the subject. An excellent book I can highly recommend.
I was given this ARC to review.
I loved how she breaks everything down into achievable goals and made me be more specific about what I really want. And she makes the writer think about themselves, what is important and relevant to them. The task seems more manageable and realistic. Planning how to get that book written doesn’t seem such a daunting task . I can see me following a lot of the advice
She also gives plenty of advice on other books to read for further information and links to online resources that expand the subject. An excellent book I can highly recommend.
I was given this ARC to review.
January 23, 2019
Goal Setting for Writers is a wealth of information and advice. A must read for the novice writer.
Sandra Gerth covers numerous items from understanding the difference between goals and dreams, using the concept of SMART(ER) goals, to defining your motivation for writing to start with.
She goes on to discuss action plans, deadlines, and reward systems. Tracking your progress, evaluating your goals, and overcoming obstacles are also visited.
Goal Setting for Writers is written in clear and logical order that has made me sit back and reconsider that way I approach my writing process.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to write, be they novice or seasoned author.
Sandra Gerth covers numerous items from understanding the difference between goals and dreams, using the concept of SMART(ER) goals, to defining your motivation for writing to start with.
She goes on to discuss action plans, deadlines, and reward systems. Tracking your progress, evaluating your goals, and overcoming obstacles are also visited.
Goal Setting for Writers is written in clear and logical order that has made me sit back and reconsider that way I approach my writing process.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to write, be they novice or seasoned author.
May 7, 2022
Good resource
Though some of the info shared in this book I learned in seminars back in my corporate days, this book organizes everything. So the exercises in the chapters, and you'll have your goal-setting done by the end.
Though some of the info shared in this book I learned in seminars back in my corporate days, this book organizes everything. So the exercises in the chapters, and you'll have your goal-setting done by the end.
August 9, 2023
Great ideas
This book is chock full of words of inspiration to help you set, and keep, goals. The book is titled Goal Setting for Writers, but you can use it aa a road map on setting other goals as well.
This book is chock full of words of inspiration to help you set, and keep, goals. The book is titled Goal Setting for Writers, but you can use it aa a road map on setting other goals as well.
January 12, 2025
This book was published several years ago. Many of the resources mentioned are now unavailable. Still, the main meat of the book is still relevant.
Includes some mentions of sapphic fiction written by the author. Not explicit.
Includes some mentions of sapphic fiction written by the author. Not explicit.
November 5, 2017
Really well done! A straight-forward guide from an experienced author who clearly knows her stuff. A great use of your time.
July 21, 2019
There were so many tidbits and suggestions in this book that I think I set a personal record for how many passages I highlighted!
May 23, 2020
I read the book not because I am aiming to write a book, rather because of the goal-setting and time management feature on it and it pretty well did justice to the providing practical steps setting goals, types of goals with relatable examples as well as how to achieve them which is another aspect I like about the book. It provided examples on the intricacies of how to skip hurdles common to all writers basically because she's gone through same and resources which can be used to stay productive.
It's highly recommended for intending writers who are looking forward to starting a full tie writing career.
It's highly recommended for intending writers who are looking forward to starting a full tie writing career.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews