No matter what time of year, it's important to set goals with your creative projects. Sometimes, not everyone can stick with following through with accomplishing their goals. Don't worry, I've been there myself, but as a professional screenwriter and script reader, I've provided a few tips that will help you achieve your goals.
Be Realistic
If your goal is to win an Oscar, keep dreaming. If you really want to accomplish any goal, you have to be realistic. What is something you think is achievable? For example: Write a ten page short film. That's something that can be achieved in a matter of a few days or weeks. Depends on how much time you're putting into your script. If you want to set a bigger goal, perhaps something like "Write a feature film" would be more realistic. Sure, it might take a bit longer, but now you have something to motivate you throughout the year.
Break it down into small steps
Now that you have your overall goal, break it down into smaller steps. If you want to write a film, then you should break it down into smaller steps. Take a sheet of paper and start listing what needs to happen to achieve your goal.
Example:
1. Write a logline. Make sure it's polished.
2. Work on a beat sheet or outline for feature.
3. Set time for writing the script. Add to calendar
4. Write ______ pages a day.
Sounds simple, right?
Don't be afraid to ask for help
Sometimes it can be challenging to hold yourself accountable for accomplishing your goals. Perhaps you need someone to hold you accountable or check in to make sure you're making progress. Nobody is going to do the work for you! However, if you need an accountablity partner or someone to motivate you, I'm always happy to help however I can. I get it. Life gets in the way sometimes and it does drive us away from achieving our goals. But if you have someone to check in to make sure things are getting done, you're more than likely to cross the finish line, then you can take a victory lap once it's complete!
Want more tips and advice? Check out my other blogs! I'm always happy to help out however I can.