The No Brainer that Rarely Occurs to the Writer, Apparently
In updating my short-term and long-term goals document yesterday, it struck me again how simple my bullet-point list is, including details of how I intend to achieve those goals, and yet…and yet…time and time again when I mention this idea to beginning and even experienced writers they look at me like I either described some genius-level idea–or, conversely, like it’s a ‘tarded thing they can’t be bothered to do (”I’m a starving artist–my genius is in my disorganized random approach to life, not just my art.”). And yet we all know that visualization, that focus, that knowing where you want to go and how you want to do it is extremely important to success. Having this document, knowing what I want to do tactically and strategically, makes life a lot easier for me. That’s all I know.
May 6, 2008 at 12:02 pm
It’s something I do as well, and something I preach. No battle plan survives contact with the enemy, but you at least need a battle plan!
May 6, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Oh yeah, good point, Tobias. It’s almost like a novel outline. The story always changes when you actually write it.
JV
May 6, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Any road will present a number of detours — but you won’t know they’re detours if you don’t have some idea of where you want to go in the first place.
Life’s short. Don’t waste it.
May 6, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I draw up a new five-year plan every six months or so for my publishing efforts. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t know what I was going to do next. I’m sure that many small press places don’t do this sort of thing either.
May 6, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I love making lists and organizing and goal making. But I wasn’t sure how much it would help me seeing as I’m only half a step into my career. But it really has helped. I got serious about it at the beginning of last year and wrote up a business plan. While a lot of the goals changed due to outside events and agent/editor feedback it’s still helped a lot to have goals. I break mine up into three categories; Private (writing goals, editing goals, submitting goals), Public goals (keeping up a web page, being publicly visible) and Uncontrollable Goals (goals that completely depend on someone else, like “get an Agent” or promo for stories if they get accepted).
I highly recommend others sit an work out where they want to be and what they can do to get there. It also helps letting go of the things you can’t control.
May 7, 2008 at 7:47 am
I’m one of those doofuses to whom this idea has never occurred, and yet the potential benefits are striking and clear. I’m going to write up a list tonight.
May 7, 2008 at 7:49 am
I always put “Learn French or Conquer the World (literally)” as the last item on my lists…
May 7, 2008 at 4:51 pm
… whichever proves easier …