Today is our last blog post before we break for the summer! So, I wanted to give you all something inspirational that will, hopefully, be a help to you in the coming months. It has been helpful to me already as I followed (most of) these steps for myself as I prepared this post.

I also added a list of links at the bottom of this post so that if you miss us or get hungry for inspiration this summer, you can find some. Also, remember to make good use of our search box. There are over a decade’s worth of posts on this blog on every subject you can think of in relation to writing. If you need help, I’m sure we have a post to help you.

Well, summer is just around the bend for me. (Two weeks left of school!) For many of you, it’s already here. I’m going to share with you six tips that I have used to set reasonable summer goals for my writing AND for resting. I don’t know about you, but I’ve worked very hard this year, and I am more than ready for a break.

1. Figure out your One Thing.

My summer break is only eight weeks long. It’s going to go by in a flash. So, what is that One Thing that you’d like to accomplish in that time? Do you hope to finish a rewrite? Plot out a new story? Deep clean your writing space and reorganize? Try not to let this goal be too big. We dreamers have the tendency to plan too big, then we get discouraged when we fail to meet that monstrous goal. Setting the goal of writing a new book this summer might be too ambitious for such a short time period. Plus, summer should also be a time of REST, so don’t get too greedy with this goal.

2. Chunk up the One Thing into smaller goals.

Once you have your One Thing, break it up into smaller goals. Start by making a list of all that needs to be done to accomplish the One Thing. Prewriting? Research? Drawing a map? Character development? One of my summer goals that is NOT writing related is to deep clean my house. Smaller goals related to that would be to declutter bookshelves, pare down books (weeps), go through my clothing and donate what doesn’t fit, go through my shoes and do the same, clean and dust under my bed.

3. Schedule it!

Now that you have a list of chunked up mini goals, you can schedule them. Boundaries help you be productive, so scheduling time for your goals is a great way to set yourself up for success. Schedule writing time when you work best. Then ask yourself what things have worked for you in the past. I work best in the mornings, but I also tend to post on Instagram first thing in the mornings. This has created a bad habit of me prioritizing social media before my writing. Don’t fall into this trap. Make sure that your most productive time is your writing time.

I’ve always been a procrastinator, so deadlines really motivate me. To capitalize on that trait, I’m going to make little deadlines for myself. For example, I want to have my map done by this date, or I want to have my first chapter revised by this date, etc. Here are some other ideas:

-Write 100 words a day. (Have you signed up for the 100 for 100?)
-Schedule 2-hour writing blocks.
-Set daily or weekly word count goals.
-Set daily page goals, like a 2 & 2: I want to revise 2 pages a day and write 2 new pages a day.
-Schedule writing sprints. Ten minutes, three times a day could be enough to meet your daily writing goal.
-Bribe yourself (When I finish a small goal, I get to read one chapter of a novel, or watch an episode of The Crown, or go on a walk, or eat 10 M&Ms, etc.)
-Schedule writing time with friends to produce accountability.

Also schedule other writing-related activities so that when you sit down to write, you don’t distract yourself with research or worldbuilding. If you know you need to do research, schedule time for it. The same goes for worldbuilding, making a map, character development. Put it all on your calendar. This will help you protect and prioritize that precious writing time.

Know what derails and distracts you. I mentioned social media. If I even pick up that cell phone when I should be doing something else, before I know it, that time is gone—wasted—on a distraction. So when I’m writing, my cell phone is placed out of my reach.

4. Schedule Rest and Self-Care Too

Schedule other summer activities, and be strict about it. We tend to be good about sticking to our work or school schedules that other people make for us. We show up on time for classes and meetings and work. But when it comes to our writing, rest, and self-care, we just let life happen, and that often means we don’t accomplish as much in this regard. So, schedule other summer goals. I’m going to put my deep cleaning mini goals on my calendar, one per week. You can also add exercise, vacations, rest, and self-care.

I started by printing out blank June, July, and August calendar pages from Print-a-Calendar.com. Then I went through and blocked off our family vacation week. Then I blocked off the days I’ve committed to speak at online writing conferences and volunteer at my church. I added my writing time each morning. I added my deep cleaning mini goals.

Now I’m ready to schedule my daily walks, my daily reading time, my time with friends. I’m keeping my evenings free to be with my family. I’m also going to schedule business hours a couple times a week for things like fixing my website, setting up a new website bookstore, working on a paperback version of Replication, typesetting more large-print editions of my indie books, and social media posts and interactions.

I’m also going to schedule time to set up appointments for the dentist, doctor, haircuts—things I tend to put off for too long. Once I have those appointments, they’ll go on my calendar.

If you’re keeping up with me, you’re going to see your calendar looking really full now. This can produce a feeling of overwhelm, like “Oh, man! Look at that! My summer is all booked up!” But you booked your summer with the things that you want to do and ways to care for yourself and rest. That’s a good thing! And if you don’t have the time or money for a real vacation, you can still schedule in 24-hour blocks where you will not work or write or do anything but rest. Rest is so important for your body, mind, and soul. Don’t neglect taking that time to recharge. You’ll be more productive if you rest.

5. Be flexible.

Make your calendar, but revisit it as the weeks go by to make sure it’s working. Is your goal still reasonable? Are you already done? If so, set another goal. Or, if you’re starting to realize you’re drowning and aren’t going to succeed, revise that goal into something more achievable.

6. Find Accountability

Find some way to hold yourself accountable for these goals. If you have writing friends, you can make a plan to check in with each other daily or weekly. This might mean getting together once a week or a simple text update: “Just wrote 500 words!” If you don’t have a person to work together with, you can use the Go Teen Writers Facebook page to post your updates or Tweet them. Just the act of writing that social media post can give you a sense of having finished something. You can also create a Google Form or spreadsheet to keep track of your writing days and log your word counts. (You can share a Google Form with friends so you can check on each other!) When I’ve done this, I was always excited to go in and log my daily word count. Not only did I get to see my overall word count rise, as the weeks went by, I could see how productive I’d been.

If you signed up for our 100 for 100 Summer Writing Challenge, you will receive an email every Monday to help encourage you in your writing and to help you stay accountable. You have until noon today (Central Time) to sign up for this year’s 100 for 100.

Archived Posts to Inspire You Over the Summer

As I mentioned in the opening of this post, I wanted to give you a list of archived posts in case you miss us or start to feel discouraged over the next eight weeks. Here are two lists: one on brainstorming and things to inspire you, the second on writer’s block and ways to be productive. I hope they help!

Brainstorming and Creativity
A Master List of Jill’s Storyworld Building Posts
Create an Idea Notebook
How to Make a Story Bible
How to Use Google Forms to Organize Story Ideas
How to Organize Your Research Notes
How to Create a Timeline for Your Story
Organize Your Novel Before You Start Writing
8 Quotes to Inspire Writers
6 Ways to Wisely Invest Your Time While You’re Waiting
Need a laugh? Watch this skit called Inspiration for Writers
Free Downloads from Go Teen Writers: Edit Your Novel

Writer’s Block and Productivity
10 Ways to Get Something Done When You’re Feeling Unproductive
When You’re Stuck: Stephanie’s Thoughts
When You’re Stuck: Jill’s Thoughts
Writer’s Block: Shan’s Thoughts
Writer’s Block Advice from Stephen Bly
Nine Tips for Managing Your Writing Time
What’s One Thing You’ve Done to Become a More Productive Writer?
The Monster of Procrastination
10 Strategies to Accomplish Your Goals

I want to know, what is your One Thing summer goal? If you don’t have one, list some things that might be ideas that you could work on over the next eight weeks. My One Thing writing goal is to dig through one of my first-draft fantasy novels and make a plan for how to fix it. Then I want to get started on that rewrite. I hope that by the end of my eight weeks, I’ll have some strong direction, a plan to revise that book, and will be making progress. That way, once I go back to work this fall, I should be in the zone and able to work on it every Saturday morning and continue to make progress through the year.

We will miss you all this summer, but we want to set a good example for you that sometimes in life, you need to take a break and prioritize rest, family, and, well, writing! We wish you all a restful summer with lots of free time to chip away at your One Thing.

So, what is your summer One Thing goal? Share in the comments.

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms, and the author of several young adult fantasy novels including the Blood of Kings trilogy. She loves teaching about writing. She blogs at goteenwriters.com and also posts writing videos on her YouTube channel and on Instagram. Jill is a Whovian, a Photoshop addict, and a recovering fashion design assistant. She grew up in Alaska without running water or electricity and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. Find Jill online at jillwilliamson.com or on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.