Dream Big
The feeling of writing the last word for the first book is amazing. It feels like completing a 26 kilometer run-marathon. After that, it is natural to want to sit down and rest–except that the pause turns into longer breaks and then nothing happens to that draft, let alone, writing more stories.
To dream bigger, intentions need to be examined and goals set. If the aim was simply to finish writing a novel, then it was achieved. If the goal was to be a writer, then a book draft can’t be left that way. It must be followed by editing, creating covers, and getting the finished book into the hands of readers.
A Clear Vision
To move forward, a clear vision needs to be set. To be a professional author, a writer needs to know what that looks like. We can’t create it if we can’t see it. It is odd that writers who can create entire worlds and complicated overarching plots have a difficult time visualizing the steps to a professional career.
I started with imagining what a professional writer looks like: images of writing in a spacious room with large windows overlooking a lake, a calendar with speaking engagements, interviews, and book signings laid opened on a large wide desk, and lots of published novels fill the bookcase beyond it. Further details came into focus about how all that came to be. Books. Not just one book, but lots of them. The only way to get there is to write them.
The act of sitting down and starting to write gives us the feeling of tediousness or being overwhelmed by the huge journey to get to the end. But once I get started, excitement about what I’m working on spurs me on to get back to it even if I have to be away from it for other tasks. I often try to find ways to make the process easier by talking to others and learning how to work smarter not harder.
As writers, we have incredible and vivid imaginations. We should use the strength of it to visualize our goals, futures, and professional careers and the steps we take to get there. Just as we guide a character through their entire lives, we can direct ourselves to propel and stimulate our professional aspirations.
~S
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