What history will you write in 2025?

My favourite thing about this community is how supportive it is, whatever stage a writer is at in their experience.

Have you ever joined us in the chat? Each week we talk goals, share posts, and boost Notes. You can see 2024’s conversations at the link below and join FOR FREE:

You see, at the Society of History Writers everyone is welcome:

• Authors with multiple books to their name

• Academic/professional historians

• Writers of history-focused newsletters

• Aspiring history writers wanting to learn from others’ experiences

We even welcome readers with an interest in history just here for the guest articles! (Keep your eyes peeled on New Year’s Day for a special downloadable PDF of all of 2024’s guest articles!)

For the writers among us, I know that there are some big goals and aspirations on the horizon for 2025. Many want to finish that book they’ve been working on for years; some want to get short stories or journal articles accepted; even more want to get more consistent with their Substack work.

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Our top guest article this year was…

How can I possibly pick just one part of history to write about?!

We’re currently closed for submissions for January-March 2025, but will reopen soon for April-June 2025 publication.

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So, how will we achieve those goals in 2025?

1. Make them attainable. Big goals are praiseworthy, but we’ll quickly get deflated if we don’t achieve them. Are there any we can tick off along the way?

2. Think about the journey, not just the outcome. Do you long to make writing your job? What habits could you introduce in the meantime to shift your life more towards that direction?

3. Be concrete. ‘Write a book’ is a great goal. But it’s very wishy-washy. What book? What stage of writing? How many words?

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Do you have history-writing goals for 2025?

Share your goals plus the actions you’ll take towards them by commenting or sharing this post. You can bet we’ll circle back during the year to check in on how we’re all doing!

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And my own history writing goals?