Hi Reader,

I used to be the kind of writer who treated missed word counts like unpaid debt.

Miss 1,000 words on Monday? Better write 2,000 on Tuesday.

Miss Tuesday, too? Congratulations! Wednesday's goal is now 3,000 words and a small nervous breakdown.

Eventually, the number got so ridiculous that I stopped opening my manuscript altogether.

Which is a pretty spectacular result for a goal that was supposed to help me finish my book.

Here's what took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out:

Your writing goal is not a blood oath. You're allowed to change it.

Recently, I decided I was going to write for 20 minutes every day.

Reasonable, right?

Except I wasn't doing it. Like, at all. 🫣

So I changed the goal to five minutes a day.

And here's the magical thing about this change: making the goal smaller actually helped me show up for the full 20 minutes, sometimes even longer if time allowed (as in, I didn’t need to wash my hair that day #IYKYK).

Then, because I’m not one to preach about writing every day, I adjusted again. Five minutes, five days a week.

Once I could see what was actually happening, I knew exactly what to change.

The point is to keep showing up so my novel and I stay besties instead of becoming strangers who awkwardly avoid eye contact at the grocery store.

Here's a little experiment for you to try out:

1. Pick a starting goal. Something that seems reasonable for your actual life (maybe even reduce it by 25% to make it extra reasonable).

2. Give it a couple of weeks. Notice what happens. No judgment, just information.

3. Adjust. Bigger, smaller, sideways, stay the course, whatever makes sense based on what you've learned.

This is how you learn how YOU write. Once you have real information instead of guesses and “shoulds,” you can trust yourself to make the next adjustment.

That's exactly what we're doing inside Level Up Your Writing Life.

For $10, you'll get my short workshop, a delightfully flexible goal-setting framework, a simple tracker, and a tool that helps you interpret your results after two weeks of real world real life data.

Plus, camaraderie with your fellow Creative Goblins during Novel November inside the Level Up Lounge.

But wait! There's more! Upgrade to the VIP option for $42 (about a buck a day if you sign up on the 20th)! 🎉

With VIP, you get everything in the workshop PLUS three asynchronous personal check-in opportunities with me: when you're setting your goals, when you're adjusting them midway through November, and when you're reflecting on everything you've accomplished.

I'll read your reflections and offer my insights on YOUR writing practice.

The first modules are live and waiting for you to dive in!

VIP plans are due October 29th.

​Join Level Up Your Writing Life for $10, or choose VIP for $42​

Your writing life changes on the daily. Your goals should be allowed to change with it.

Let’s level up!

Claire 💛

Kira's Korner! Look at that precious pretty pittie smile! 😛

New here? Forget who I am? I'm Claire! Award-winning horror author, project manager, sourdough maven, amazing wife and dog mom, and your future creative mentor! I help fiction writers ditch the rules, fall in love with writing again, and finally finish their damn (good!) stories! As an Author Accelerator certified fiction book coach I know what it takes to write a great novel. As a Writing from the Top of Your Head certified facilitator I know how to make it fun. Ready to finish your book? ​Heck yeah! Let's do this thang!​

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