A thought has occurred to me. If goals are important then figuring out what you are aiming at might be a good early step. If one was to aim to win a short story contest then the writing would be of a certain effort and caliber. If one is wanting a much bigger prize, like the Nobel or Pulitzer prize, then a different level of skill and commitment would be in order. I have always recoiled against Genre writing maybe because I only want a big prize for my efforts. Not only learning to write well, but studying the masters of Literature as a life’s goal seems to be in order.

Awesome! Am wishing you all the best with your pursuit of greatness in your craft. Thanks for sharing this and keep on keeping on!
A prize cannot be a reasonable goal. Goals should be something you have control over to a greater extent, like writing a better story than you have before. Prizes are dreams. Go for them, but don’t let them influence your happiness or your productivity.
Great and necessary advice, thank you!
Great post ππ