Goal Setting for Writers

It can often help to set goals for your writing.  This can motivate you to achieve more, write more and earn more.  The goals that you set can be a very personal thing.  They can also be short or long term.  In addition to this, they can be number of articles written goals, monetary goals or award goals, dependant on the sites for which you write. 

I write for several different sites, but predominantly for two sites- helium and Triond.  These are very different writing sites with pros and cons to both and the goals I set for each are reflective of the different set ups.  To help others to think of goals to set themselves for writing, I have listed the goals for each site for last month, the reasons for these goals and whether or not I achieved them.  Then I have listed the goals that I am working towards for March 2011.

Triond- February 2011

Having deflected from Triond last year after only submitting a small number of articles and making only a few cents a month (it was taking two months to meet the minimum payment threshold of $0.50) I decided to return to give it another go. Here were my targets:

• To write 20 articles and submit them.  I returned just in time for the February Bonus Special.  This offered a bonus of 30% on earnings to anybody who wrote at least 20 articles that were published on particular sites.  I exceeded this by a significant amount and changed my target to achieving the 100 articles award, which I achieved after writing 66 articles (I think). 
• To earn more than $1 a month for my writing efforts.  Not only did I exceed this, but I earned $2.91 in a month.
• To promote my articles by setting up a Facebook and Twitter account and to investigate the ‘share’ button on Triond to find other ways of promoting articles.  I did this, immediately seeing a rise in my page views.
• To make some friends on Triond- achieved.
• To get the 5000 views badge-achieved.

Following last months success, I made new goals for this month.  They are as follows:

• To get the 200 articles badge.  I have written 47 articles this month, including this one, and have about 30 to go to achieve this badge
• To get the 10,000 views badge.  I think I was being a bit ambitious with this one as I still need around 3,000 views in the remainder of the month to achieve this.  However, I have recently signed uip to shetoldme.com and hope that this will help to improve my page views.
• To earn at least $5 in a month from Triond.  As of today, I am up to $3.11, so this should easily be in reach for me by the end of the month.
• To increase my Google Adsense earnings.  I have made twice as much so far this month than I made in the whole of last month, so this should be easily achievable.

Next month, I hope to achieve in the double figures for my writing, take part in the special if there is one (hopefully!) and to have written another 100 articles in a month.

Helium February 2011

• To come at least third in one of the competitions entered- achieved, earning me $10.
• To write at least 10 Marketplace articles- achieved.
• To improve my ratings and writing percentages- achieved, but only slightly.

Following this success, I set the following targets for March 2011:

• To come at least third in one of the competitions entered- I am currently entered in two competition titles, but new ones come on every Wednesday.
• To use Stumble Upon and shetoldme.com to promote my articles- ongoing.
• To write to 10 Marketplace titles- six so far making a profit of $10 so far this month, plenty of time to write some more.
• To achieve the highest rating star award, which will earn me an additional $3.

Next month whilst I am on Maternity leave, I intend to increase Marketplace articles to 20 and to enter more competition titles (provided my baby stays put for a few more weeks, that is!).