Setting writing goals is a little intimidating, but it wasn’t always that way. Years ago, my goal was to write 2,000 words each day. I even participated in National Novel Writing Month a few years in a row. I wrote 50,000 words in a month, yet it didn’t feel overwhelming to set that goal because I knew I’d be able to reach it.
My season of life looks nothing like it did in college. Juggling work and kids have changed things, and I haven’t made the time to write like I used to.
But 2018 is the year to make a change. My passion for writing has always been there, but it’s time to make it a priority instead of something I get around to whenever the other items on my to-do list are checked off. Who am I kidding? My to-do list is never complete.
It’s time to allow myself to get lost in the written word.
It’s time to find myself in the written word.
It’s time.
I’m making this change by writing a little bit every day. It doesn’t have to be the 2,000 words I set for myself when I was in my late teens and early twenties. It doesn’t even need to be 500. I am writing a little bit each day. Even if that means it’s only two sentences. Writing something is better than writing nothing at all.
A few years ago I started a blog. It has been a place to share my heart with others and be an encouraging voice to those in a similar season of life, but I’ve allowed every season to distract me from what I set out to do.
My goal this year is to post regularly. I’d like to post once a week. I know there are going to be challenging weeks, but it’ll keep me writing. Aren’t goals meant to stretch us?
Writing is my form of self-care. Some moms go out with friends, get pedicures, or take cooking classes. Writing is my escape from my everyday demands. It’s what refreshes me, so when I don’t do it regularly, I’m not my best self.
This year it’s time to make writing a priority. While it won’t look like it did in college, I’ll still write. I don’t have a handful of hours each day to devote to a large project, but I can steal five minutes here and ten minutes there. For too long I’ve kept myself from creating a writing habit because it felt pointless if I couldn’t do what I had done in the past. I was discouraged that I couldn’t keep up with my 2,000 word goal, but I need to keep reminding myself that the smallest amount of writing is better than no writing at all.
Join me this year and start writing. It doesn’t have to be much. It just has to be something.
I’m excited for this journey to rediscover myself.
Tynea Lewis is a former Title I teacher from Pennsylvania. She was named a 30 Under 30 honoree by the International Literacy Association in 2016 for her work with LitPick Student Book Reviews, an online reading, and writing program. When she’s not busy overseeing the program, she loves to spend time with her husband and young daughters, write for a variety of audiences, and escape to the quietness of the mountains. You can connect with her on Twitter and Instagram at @TyneaLewis or on her blog at tynealewis.com.
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