I'm starting a new writing challenge for the month of May with a couple of writer buddies of mine. The newbie of the bunch is going with a conservative goal of 1,000 words. I'm the middle-of-the-roader with a respectable 10k in my crosshairs, and the professional superstar is hoping to crank out a whopping 40,000 new words. Our plan is to check in each weekend to see how we did, wherein we'll either dish out some palm-stinging high-fives or partake in some serious butt kicking.


But why do this? Why stress ourselves out? For the same reason I used to teach homeschool classes for other children in my living room. If I don't have someone holding me accountable, I'm going to be a slacker.


Note: I didn't say loser. When I'm not participating in a writing challenge, I still write, just not as much. Joining with others notches up the pressure to perform, which is a good thing, especially since my personal goal was to finish my current manuscript by the end of the summer.

But a writer's challenge group isn't the only way to meet your goals. Here are some other ideas to stomp all over the goalie when you're trying to finish a manuscript...


- Reward yourself. Think of this as the dangling carrot approach, but every now and then, the carrot actually lands in your mouth. For each mini-accomplishment you achieve, give yourself a treat. I'm not talking mink coat or trip for 2 to Mazatlan. It could be something as simple as dark chocolate or a bike ride around a lake.


-  On the flip side, there's punishment. If you're not the Pavlov's dog kind of person, you might need something more drastic. If you don't meet your goal, perhaps a deprivation is in order. Give yourself a writerly spanking. No movie on Friday night and nix the Ben & Jerry's until you reach a respectable word count. 


- Hire a hit man for the editor...inner-editor, that is. First drafts are for capturing story, not snipping off every dangling participle. Write now, edit later.


- Be consistent. Set a timer. Write every day, or at least every weekday. Think of writing as exercise and just do it. Don't go to bed at night unless you've met that time requirement.


- For the techies amongst you, open Excel and make yourself a spreadsheet. Sometimes seeing the numbers all laid out makes the task less daunting.


And those are just a few. What are some of your favorite ways to meet a goal?