Succeed with These S.M.A.R.T. Camp NaNo Goals

Camp NaNoWriMo is just around the corner! If you’re a first-time camper, welcome! If you’re a returning camper, welcome back! Everyone needs a clear set of writing goals in order to succeed; today, writer Marissa O’Leary shares a SMART tool for making your Camp adventure great:

Camp NaNo is all about choices: Will you participate in April or July (or both)? Will your goal be in pages or hours? Poetry or novel? Cabin or solo? It can be so hard to decide! 

One thing I love about Camp NaNo is how much freedom you’ve got. All the power is in your hands: you decide what your project will be and what your writing target is for it. This can be both awesome and overwhelming. As you spend this month thinking about what you will write, consider some other aspects: how much writing you’re going to challenge yourself to do and why you’ll definitely be able to achieve this amazing feat.

An effective tool for focusing your writing goal is by creating “SMART” goals. “SMART” is an acronym that you may have heard of in school or in a work training program. Applying it to something you’re passionate about (like your writing, for instance) helps you learn this useful technique in a fun and memorable way. Here’s what “SMART” stands for and how you can apply each step to your writing: