Your One Big Writing Question for the Year
January invites lists. Target word counts. Submission goals.
And while goals absolutely have their place, I want to offer you something that I’ve found to be far more sustaining.
Instead of asking What do I want to accomplish this year?
What if you asked one guiding question—and let it lead you?
Why a Question (Not a Goal)?
Goals can be motivating—but they can also be deflating. Miss a deadline, fall behind on word count, or hit a season of creative uncertainty, and suddenly the missed goal feels like a judgment.
A question, on the other hand, stays curious.
A good question:
- Leaves room for discovery
- Allows for flexibility
- Grows with you as the year unfolds
It doesn’t demand adherence to a timeline.
It asks you to stay in conversation with your work.
Examples of Guiding Questions
Here are a few questions you might consider:
- What ideas keep tapping me on the shoulder?
- How can I write with more trust in my reader?
- What does “enough” look like for me this year?
- Where am I overworking—and why?
- How can I bring more play into my process?
Notice these aren’t outcome-based.
They’re orientation-based.
How a Question Guides the Year
Your question becomes a quiet filter:
- When you choose which manuscript to revise
- When you decide whether to say yes to an opportunity
- When you feel stuck and don’t know what the “right” next step is
Instead of pushing harder, you get curious.
Choose Yours
Write the question down. Put it somewhere visible.
Let it walk beside you—not ahead of you, not behind you.
You don’t need the answer yet.
You just need the courage to keep asking.
