A Mindset-First, Faith-Grounded Approach to Entering Your Next-Level Writing Year
As we head toward a new year, writers everywhere start to feel that familiar pull to set new goals — and hope that this year will finally unfold differently.
For many writers, this time of year brings a mix of excitement and hope… alongside pressure, self-doubt, or that quiet fear that next year might end up looking a lot like the last.
You start motivated.
You set goals with genuine intention.
And then somewhere along the way… momentum fades, resistance creeps in, and self-doubt takes over.
If that cycle has been your experience, let’s name something upfront:
Most writing goals don’t fail because writers are lazy, unmotivated, or not serious enough. They fail because the goals are set from the wrong place — often from pressure, fear, or comparison — which quietly sends mixed signals to the subconscious and creates resistance instead of momentum.
And when your goals are created from pressure or from feeling not good enough, your nervous system doesn’t register opportunity or creativity — it registers stress and self-protection.
That’s when procrastination shows up.
That’s when perfectionism tightens.
That’s when avoidance masquerades as “needing more time.”
This is where most writers get stuck — not because they don’t want it badly enough, but because their goals are misaligned with how their mind actually works.
The reframe that changes everything
Before we even get to setting goals, we need to start somewhere more foundational.
We need to start by understanding who you are as a writer and the direction you’re actually being called to move in.
Instead of asking:
What do I want to achieve next year?
Start asking:
Who am I choosing to be as a writer this year?
Because when identity leads, goals stop feeling heavy and they feel more in alignment with your true self. And when your goals are in alignment with your true self, they stop requiring constant motivation. They become expressions of who you already are.
This is why identity comes before goals.
Writers who skip this step can end up setting unrealistic targets, burning out mid-year, or quietly abandoning their goals altogether.
And you don’t need another year of that.
You deserve a year where your writing feels clearer, more grounded, and genuinely achievable — where the goals you set actually support you in moving your book forward and finishing what you start.
The three foundations of a next-level writing year
Instead of jumping straight into goal-setting, begin with three key foundations that will support your writing and make the coming year a next-level writing year for you.
1️⃣ Clarity — what actually matters for you this year
Clarity is not about knowing every plot beat or every step of your writing path forward.
Clarity is knowing:
- what story you are prioritising
- what stage of the writing process you’re actually in right now
- and what “enough” looks like for you
This is where many writers sabotage themselves — they try to do everything all at once.
Ask yourself this, honestly:
If only one writing thing moved forward this year, what must it be? What is the number one writing priority you have.
Answer that honestly — not aspirationally.
2️⃣ Courage — writing without waiting for certainty
Courage isn’t about feeling fearless. It’s about diving into the deep end of some really murky water without knowing what’s underneath.
So it’s about writing before confidence or certainty arrives.
Most writers think confidence comes first. It doesn’t.
Confidence is built through taking action.
Waiting until inspiration strikes or you feel ready to write is not going to get your book written. Inspiration strikes most often when your fingers are already hitting the keyboard and writing — not when you’re watching TV or doom scrolling your phone.
So instead of waiting to feel inspired or ready, the strategy is to begin writing. Sit down and write. Be courageous and get out of your own way.
Trust that you are the vessel for the story, and let the words flow through you onto the page.
But here’s the big tip: the words can’t flow through you if you’re not writing.
So sit down, open the document, and dive into those murky pages and just start writing.
3️⃣ Creative purpose — why this story matters
Purpose is not pressure. Purpose is direction.
And without a clear direction, we can wander around aimlessly for years.
This is where faith and trust quietly supports the work.
Your story may touch one life, or it may touch thousands. It might offer someone a moment of escape, a sense of being seen, a spark of hope, or the courage to keep going on their own journey.
And while you may never fully know the impact it has — even changing one life means you are serving something far greater than yourself.
And that alone makes your story worth writing and sharing with others.
Creative purpose doesn’t mean forcing outcomes or chasing impact.
It means showing up, doing the work you’ve been called to do, and trusting that the story will land exactly where it’s meant to.
How to turn this into action
Insight without application doesn’t change anything.
So here’s a simple three-step reset for your upcoming writing year. Not a massive plan. Not a rigid schedule. A clear, aligned foundation you can actually sustain.
Step 1 — Choose ONE primary writing focus
Choosing one primary writing focus for the year does not mean you can’t have multiple ideas or work on different aspects of your craft.
It means you’re giving your energy a home base.
Most writers don’t struggle because they lack ambition. They struggle because their energy is fragmented — pulled in too many directions at once.
One primary focus gives your writing energy a north star. It’s not the only thing you’re allowed to do — it’s the thing everything else orbits around.
And when you sit down to write and think, What should I work on today? your focus answers for you.
That’s not limitation. That’s relief.
Step 2 — Define what “success” looks like
This is the step where perfectionism likes to sneak in wearing a productivity mask.
Writers often define success in ways that sound motivating — but actually create constant failure.
Like:
- “I’ll write every day.”
- “I’ll never get stuck.”
- “I’ll finish faster than last time.”
Those definitions depend on ideal conditions… and real writing rarely happens under ideal conditions.
So define success in a way that:
- works on good weeks and bad ones
- supports momentum rather than punishing inconsistency
- builds trust with yourself over time
Ask yourself:
What would sustainable progress look like for me, given my real life — not my fantasy schedule?
Because the goal isn’t to impress yourself. It’s to stay in the work long enough to finish.
Step 3 — Decide how you will show up weekly
Instead of asking, How much can I push myself? ask:
What level of commitment can I keep even on my worst weeks?
Weekly consistency beats daily pressure every single time.
Daily goals create guilt. Weekly commitments create stability.
You’re not lowering the bar — you’re choosing a bar you can actually clear consistently.
And consistency is what turns effort into results.
The integrated reframe
When you put these three steps together, something powerful happens.
You stop trying to become a different kind of writer — and start building momentum as the writer you already are.
That’s how resistance softens.
That’s how confidence grows.
And that’s how books actually get finished.
Not through force — but through clarity, courage, and aligned action.
Framing your writing goal using the VERY SMART method
Once you’ve done those three steps, it’s time to lock them in properly.
Clarity without commitment still leaves room for drift.
This is where the VERY SMART goal framework comes in — and this part is crucial:
A VERY SMART goal is written as if it has already been achieved.
Not “someday.”
Not “I will try.”
But from the future, looking back.
Why this works
Your mind does not distinguish between:
- something vividly imagined
- and something actually experienced
When you write a goal as if it is already true, your brain begins to:
- familiarise itself with that reality
- reduce fear around it
- and organise behaviour to match it
You’re no longer chasing an outcome — you’re aligning with one.
The VERY SMART framework
V — Vision-led
You are seeing the outcome clearly, from the future.
E — Emotionally Connected
The goal includes how it feels to have achieved it.
R — Realistic and Responsible
The goal respects your real life and capacity.
Y — Yours
No “shoulds.” No comparison.
SMART
Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant/ecological, and timed — always framed toward what you want.
The example goal (future-paced)
It is the end of this year, and I have completed the first full draft of my novel. I am so proud of myself for staying consistent and committed, even when the writing felt messy or uncomfortable. I showed up for my writing in a way that worked with my life, not against it, and I trusted myself to keep going. Finishing this draft has deepened my confidence, strengthened my identity as a writer, and reminded me why this story mattered so much to me.
How to write your own VERY SMART goal
Imagine it is 12 months from now. Your primary focus has moved forward exactly as intended.
Write your goal as a short paragraph, not a checklist.
Then ask yourself:
- Does this feel believable?
- Does my body relax when I read it?
- Does this version of me feel grounded?
If not — refine it.
This is not about ambition. It’s about alignment.
The final reframe
A VERY SMART goal isn’t something you chase.
It’s something you step into.
You write it as if it’s already real — and then you show up in small, consistent ways that make it true.
Ask yourself this, honestly:
Am I willing to show up for this version of myself — even when it’s uncomfortable?
Not perfectly.
Not heroically.
Consistently.
If the answer is yes, make a decision right now.
Silently say to yourself:
This is the year I stop restarting.
This is the year I follow through.
Let that decision land.
Because clarity plus commitment is what creates momentum.
Download the Very SMART Writing Goals Workbook
To help you apply this exact framework to your own writing goals, you can download the Very SMART Writing Goals Workbook from my website.
👉 https://maddisonmichaels.comhttps://maddisonmichaels.com/resources-1
The workbook guides you through:
- shaping goals from the achieved state
- creating intentions your nervous system can stay regulated inside
- reinforcing your identity as the writer who shows up and finishes
Prefer to listen?
This article is based on a full-length teaching on the Write the Darn Book podcast, where this framework is explored in depth with guided explanation and reflection.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/write-the-darn-book-beat-writers-block/id1858775581
Ready for deeper support?
If this approach resonated and you’d like personalised support to break through writing blocks and finally finish your book, I currently have a limited number of 1:1 coaching spaces available.
You can learn more here:
👉 https://maddisonmichaels.com/coaching
We’ll chat and see whether we’re the right fit.
