How to Get Your Writing Done - Finally

I want to help you get more writing done in 12 weeks than most people get done in 12 months. I want you to try the 12-Week Year.

I tried The 12-Week-Year for the first time last year and ever since then I’ve been hooked on the idea of ditching “annualized thinking” and focusing on setting 12-week goals instead of 12-month, or annual, goals. Even though many of the concepts discussed in the book were things I already practiced, the mindset shift was key. So, when I found out there was a 12-Week Year for Writers I was elated and excited to implement this system with the members of the See Jane Write Collective.

How to Plan Your 12-Week Year for Your Writing Goals

If you’re serious about implementing the 12-Week Year to accomplish your writing goals, I recommend buying A. Trevor Thrall’s book The 12-Week Year for Writers: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Your Writing Done. (I’m not getting paid to say that, by the way.)

But if you’re not yet sure if this plan is for you, here’s a high-level view of how the system works – with a few adjustments from yours truly.

Step 1 – Craft your writing vision. First, consider your vision for your life as a whole. What does your life look like in your wildest dreams? Where do you see yourself in the next few years? Where do you see yourself in 15 years? To craft your writing vision, consider where your writing fits into this dream life you have envisioned. What do you hope to have written and to be writing over the next one to three years? What kind of writer do you want to be 15 years from now?

Let’s say that in 15 years you want to have published a series of books on Black womanhood. So, in the next one to three years, you might want to publish the first book of the series.

Step 2 – Choose your next writing project. Your next writing project should be the most important step you can take right now toward your writing vision. Using the example from step 1, your next writing project could be to write the proposal the first book of the series.

Whatever your project may be, you will need to, of course, break it down into smaller steps. These will be your goals for your 12-week year.

Step 3 – Align your time. Take an honest look at your life and schedule when you will work on your writing goals. One thing I love about the 12-Week Year is that it also recommends scheduling downtime and scheduling time to do tedious but necessary tasks like checking email. I’m a big fan of blocking out time every Sunday to plan the week ahead.

Step 4 – Commit to community. The 12-Week Year for Writers recommends being a part of a writing group that meets weekly. If you’re a member of the See Jane Write Collective, you’ve already got that covered! Every Thursday, the Collective gathers on Zoom to write together for an hour. But for the next 12 weeks, we’re going to also use that time to chat about our progress on our 12-Week Year goals.

On Thursday, March 31, I’m hosting a workshop to walk you through crafting your vision and choosing your next writing project. Then I’ll be keeping you motivated for the next 12 weeks as you work toward your goals. This motivation includes a weekly check-in, a weekly write-in, and monthly critique sessions to give you feedback on your work. BUT you only get access to this if you’re a member of the See Jane Write Collective. So, if you’re not a member, fix that by applying TODAY.