Professional Writing Is About Forward Thinking

As we start into the New Year, this is the time when most people start making resolutions. Personally, I am not a big fan of these, simply because they tend to be rushed and often are poorly planned. As an author, however, forward thinking is always something that should be on your mind. Sitting back and waiting for something to happen is not going to be that proactive.

One of the biggest issues I see with authors is a lack of "wanting to start something new until..." That until is always pretty open for interpretation. Until we hear back from X. Until we see the sales figures. Until the critique partners review it. Until I hear back from that contest. Using that approach is a great way to stall your writing career. While one project is out there circulating among the editors and agents, you should be well along with a new project.

Now, I understand what many say. "But that new project is the sequel to the first one! If the first one doesn't sell, what do I do with this one?" The answer is simple. Don't write the next book as a sequel. This is something I tell a lot of writers. Sure a series is great IF that first book does well, but for new writers, I recommend just working on projects that are not connected with each other. If there is a way to make one of those books into a series, then great! But, don't spend the time on that early on.

Editors and agents want to see a constant flow of writing. This gives them opportunities to continually promote your writing, to have things available when special projects come up, or even when there is a new line launched. We never really know when things like this will happen and it is always great to be prepared.

I do understand that some of you out there cannot think of more than one project at a time. I am in no way suggesting to write multiple stories at one time, but to have an idea of other projects. During those times when you have a break in that current work in progress, take the time to jot down other ideas. Keep that list going and keep it fresh.

So your job today is to create a plan for this year. Plan on when you will have each book finished. Plan on dates for rough drafts, when they will be sent to your editor or agent, if you have one, or when you will send those submissions out. Plan ahead if you are going to submit to national contest. Plan on which conferences you are going to attend. The odds are, 2017 could be a great year for you!~

Do You Have A Plan With Measurable Outcomes?

Having goals to achieve are great for people. They keep us motivated to get to some new place in our lives. However, far too many people never achieve those goals they set. There are actually two reasons here. The first is that the goal simply cannot be achieved. But the bigger reason is that the goal, and the steps to get there, are not measurable.

I was thinking about this as I was helping my youngest on her 5th grade science fair project. This is the time of year when we start talking about measurable variables. In any case, this happened also at the time when I was reviewing a contract for one of my authors and we wanted to make sure delivery
dates matched up with the author's original plan.

This author, at the time we were setting those delivery dates was a bit worried. How would she make all of those deadlines. The answer was simple. Have a plan with measurable deadlines and goals.

You can do this in any number of ways: NaNoWriMo works on a measurable outcome of word count each day. You can set a goal of a set number of chapters by a certain date. One of my authors actually does this with page count and in 20 and 30 minute increments. Let me explain that one. When she has to get a chapter written that day, she calculates roughly what page she needs to be on by a certain time in her writing block of time. The goal is to always be ahead of schedule.

It really doesn't matter what you will measure your progress with, it has to be something with a measurable point that you can monitor that progress. Simply saying, "This year I plan on having a book written" is not going to be enough. That is a big goal with nothing along the way to see how you are going. I can promise you that come Christmas of 2016, you will still be looking at that goal and not having the book finished.

So, before you write today, create a plan. Pull out that calendar Gramma Bea gave everyone (like she does every year) and plug in those dates. You might be surprised what you accomplish.

Welcome To 2016

We made it! Another year is under our belt and we are on to 2016!

I know this is the time of year when we all start to make resolutions, but, I am sure many of us out there find this a pretty futile task. We have all of these grand plans and then... In fact, I am really going to see that when I take my daughter to Dance Team on Tuesday and see all of those people "starting their year off right" with a work out. Hmmmm? We'll see how long that lasts.

In any case, each year, I find myself looking at a different issue that I work on with authors and here on the blog. This actually stems from one of my goals for the agency - that being education. Over the last several months, I have really seen a need for this in many of the submissions I have seen coming into my In-box. I actually mentioned this right before Christmas time, and the small break has really given me a chance to get this to gel a bit more.

It seems that the emphasis many in publishing have right now is simply that of how to "get published." It is all about the marketing. It is all about the sales. It is all about getting that book on the shelf fast. National conferences deluge writers with session after session on these same issues. And, while being able to sell your book is great, writers are still missing something - A Quality Product!

We have seen so much of an emphasis on how easy it is to be published and how you can write anything and get it published, that writers are missing the mark on how to compose something people will really want to read.

So this year is about craft. It is about getting you thinking about the words you are putting on that paper. It is about the story arc and whether or not it is a worthwhile story. This year will be about you listening to the way the characters are talking and examining if this is really "how that character would sound."

Yes, I will certainly throw in posts about marketing, query letters and so forth, but this year is about the craft.

This is also what I will be stressing at conferences and workshops. As always, please know I am 100% available to visit with your writing groups. I can come to your group or we can set up sessions digitally and do the sessions over the Internet. If you are not sure how we can do that, simply ask. It is not that hard and can save groups money.

So, welcome to 2016! Let's get those stories revved up and let's get writing some great stories!

December is the Time For Goal Setting

December is a tough month for writers. Editors and agents are finally taking a well-deserved break. The families start to invade your homes. And somehow, you are trying to find time to eek in some personal writing time. With that being said, sometimes the best course of action is to not fight the busy schedule but to make some shifts in what you are doing with your career.

December is a great time for getting those goals in place for the coming year. This is the time to begin planning those next books, getting conference plans in order (you can never start soon enough), researching editors and agents, reading novels for research, and certainly starting to build those submission packets for the editors and agents.

These are all projects that can be done in bits and pieces. You can get a little bit done between wrapping presents and running from those obnoxious family members.

Even these small tasks will give you a feeling of actually getting something done, even though you might not actually be writing. Just keep moving forward. When it is time to get back to the computer, you will find yourself in a great place and the motivation will certainly be there.

Make Those Resolutions, But We Will Call Them Goals NOW!

You have now made it through your first week of 2015. The dust is settled. The Christmas lights are likely down (although I have 3 strands that didn't make it into a box). The kids are probably back at school (thank goodness). And more importantly, you have shipped the relatives back to their respective homes. Whew!

But this is not a time to sit back and relax. It is time to get going and move into 2015 with a lot of energy.

Now I know  many of you want to make New Year's Resolutions. And, probably like so many people in the world, those resolutions are completely lost before today. It's a shame though because those resolutions, those goals are what drive us to achieve. You strive to give your characters a little GMC (Goals, Motivation, and Conflict). So it is time to do that for you too!

One of the reasons many of you don't make it through those yearly goals is the timing of when you make them. The clock is ticking on Dec. 31st and you are madly scrambling for a resolution! It is the excitement of the moment (and maybe the bubbly) but you are full of a lot of adrenaline and excitement. So you start making goals you probably won't keep.

The same thing happens to so many authors after they attend national conventions such as the Romance Writers of America Conference. You can't help but to become energized. You listened to some great speakers, you met some great writers and there are a ton of new ideas running through your head. But all of those plans disappear when you hit the real world. Why? You made those goals too soon!

I don't know about you, but I am completely exhausted after the holiday season. I have been scrambling to make things just right, trying to get submissions, edits and revisions done before we settle into the lights and everything. So making plans while that adrenaline is going will only lead to things I probably don't want to achieve or maybe are simply unrealistic.

But the dust has settled now. You have had 9 days to detox and become acclimated to the real world. Now make those plans.

What do YOU want to achieve with your writing this year?

As you plan these, however, I want you to take the time to think like an author. I want you to consider your own GMC.

• What are your GOALS? Remember to keep these realistic and achievable. Remember also that goals have to be something that you can control. Therefore telling me you want to be on the NY Times list is not going to happen. Telling me you are going to get an agent or a contract is not going to be a great goal. Both are rely on others to make your decisions. Keep it focused on you and your writing.
• What is your MOTIVATION? Why are you doing this? I will tell you, if it is to earn money to keep food on the table, this is a poor motivation. Again, you aren't thinking about the writing. Take the time to think about why you are really writing? What is that big "take-away" you get from finishing that story and passing on those thoughts and memories to your readers?
• What is the CONFLICT(s) that might get in the way? Plan ahead on this one. You know your schedule! You know your life! Plan for how you will deal with the things that could potentially distract you. For me, it is the busy schedule of my kids - so I make plans to get things done during different times. 

Your homework this weekend is to figure out your GMCs for 2015! I dare you to post them here for the world to see. It is easy to have a resolution and a goal but never tell anyone. This way, if you fail, no one will know.

I challenge you!
I dare you!

And to get things rolling, here is my GMC

As you know, I have written two books of poetry. I also have on my computer 2 partials of poetry collections.

MY GOAL: To finish the book and have it done by Dec. 31.
MY MOTIVATION: I see so many of you finish your stories and your projects and I want the same feeling. I had it when I saw my took book covers the first time and I want it again.
CONFLICT: I have set up a pretty rigorous writing schedule. I need to write for 30 minutes a day to achieve this. Therefore, I have put it as a permanent TO DO item on my Outlook. The document is on the Cloud so I can write from my iPad or anywhere I have a computer, AND I have a notebook sitting on the front seat of my care to get those ideas in place.

Where Do You Want To Be As A Writer - Goal Setting

When I start conversations with authors after I have fallen in love with their book, one of the first questions I bring up is where the author sees their career in the future. Sometimes this comes up in query letters and pitches as well and is certainly a great tool for me as an agent to assess the author. In simple terms, does this author have a plan in their head for where they are going to, and more importantly, is it realistic?

I remember one writer I met at a conference who, during the pitch, proceeded to tell me that her goal was to be able to write full time. That's fine and certainly something that is possible, but for her, she was going to do that starting this next year. She had put everything she had into this book, she had invested huge sums of money for professional editors and was not going to "sell this book" and make an income from this immediately. Unfortunately, this book was simply not going to do it for her.

Setting goals is incredibly important for writers. We need that driving force to get us to that computer each day to write. We need to have a goal for what we are going to do with today's writing as well as when the book will be finished, and also how much we will write that year. But goals have to be something we have control over. Goals cannot be something that relies on a lot of other people to make the goal successful.

Saying we are going to be on the New York Times Best Seller List is not a goal we can control. This is dependent on your readers cranking the sales up for you. Saying we will be published or sign with an agent or editor is dependent on you making the right connection and being in the right place at the right time.

I am bringing this up now because in a few weeks, many of us will be heading off to those major writing conferences of the summer. We will come back fired up and motivated. We will be making those goals for the coming year. But please remember, as you make those goals, think if these are realistic? Are these goals or dreams? In all honesty, failing in a goal that was never possible is probably more devastating to a career than a couple of rejection letters.

Every Now And Then - Revisit Your Goals And Progress

I was just reading a copy of the latest SPLASH magazine from USA Swimming and there was a great article for swimmers dealing with goals. The transition time between the fall swimming and the end of the short course season in the winter and spring can be tough. These swimmers start out the year with some great goals and then, around Christmas time and the first round of championship meets, many swimmers find that they might not be where they wanted to be in early September. The author argued for these swimmers to take some time and revisit those goals.

As writers, I think it is also very important to stop and revisit our goals and where we are at right now in our careers. This is not just a chance to change out goals to fit where we want to be, but to really take a look at what we are doing right now to determine if we are still on target for what we had planned. In other words, we might have gotten side-tracked along the way with projects that were more of an immediate gratification (quick money or quick publishing). Maybe we got side-tracked with a great story idea that really isn't in line with what we should be working on at that time. Maybe we got side-tracked with things outside of our writing career.

Having a goal in our writing is crucial. It is what guides us and motivates us toward action with our career. But, if we have goals that might not be realistic, or more likely goals that we have forgotten, we might find this is the reason why we aren't motivated to write and move ahead.

So as yourself this AM a few questions:

• Where are you at with your writing right now?
• Are you happy?
• Is this in alignment with where you want to be with your writing?
• What steps are you currently taking with your writing that are moving you closer to that goal?
• Are you doing things that, while appear important right now, might not be something necessary for your goals?
• Do you need to refine your goals to something more realistic?
• Have your goals changed? If so, why? Did you change because you changed, or did you change because you didn't live up to your original goals.

This is introspection Monday! You're back to work after the holidays so get thinking. Get that brain in gear!

New Year's Goals

Remember a few of these ideas about goal setting today as you make plans for 2013:

• Goals must be something you can personally control. Making the NY Times Best Seller list is not something you have the power to make happen.
• Goals must be realistic.
• Long-term goals must have smaller short term goals in place to get you there. Create measurable benchmarks to get you to that bigger goal.
• Create a plan on how you are going to achieve that goal.
• Create rewards and punishments for yourself to motivate you toward your goal.

Look, I'll be honest. Goal setting is tough but there are certainly a lot of great benefits to having those goals. You are going to have to really work at these so make those goals count.

And please, DON'T QUIT!

So, for all of you writers out there - What are your goals?
For you agents and editors out there - What are your goals?

What Should Writers Give Up For Lent

O.K. writers! I know Lent started yesterday, but I'll give you another day to add a few things to your "Give It Up For Lent" list.

• Give up procrastinating. - Just get off your butt, make a plan and finish that darn book. This is ridiculous all of this garbage you keep throwing out of why the story isn't done. DO IT!
• Give up blaming others for those rejection letters. One thing I have learned from being a USA Swim Official. We always say that we don't disqualify the swimmer. The swimmer diqualifies himself or herself. The same goes for writing. There is no one to blame but you and your writing.
• Give up telling yourself you cannot write. You need to think positively here. Yes, there will be bad days, but you can do it. Think that way.
• Give up those friends who tell you that writing is not your future. This is simply bad Karma. You don't need these people.

Scott

Getting Published Is All That Matters - Not always...

I frequently hear this comment come up from an author when I describe some authors not wanting to see their story with Publisher XYZ. Even though the story would fit at that house, the writer is simply against it. I don't want to get into that discussion today, but instead, to focus on the comment the other writers say. When they hear this, they say, "Shoot, I would take that. In the end, getting published is all that matters." While I do agree with this partially, I do have to say, that taking that approach has often led writers into situations that are far from satisfactory. In fact, I do attribute the massive increase in self-publishing and e-printing opportunities available to authors.

Many writers are so eager to be published that they will jump at any chance they have of "seeing that book in print" and to be able to claim "I am published." What is unfortunate, is that these authors have really sold themselves short. They had a dream and they had a goal and, in the interest of expediency, they rushed to a less than satisfactory approach.

I have said this time and time again, but writing is not an overnight activity. Success simply doesn't happen overnight. Talk to numerous writers and they will tell you their first book never sold and would likely never sell. In fact, for many, they were on books in the double digits before they had their first sale. What you will find is that these are the authors with the staying power and will still be publishing. Those that rushed into the business, taking those "short cuts" will often give the business up.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that writers have to take the traditional approach to writing. If you are writing now and your goal is to only self-publish, or simply "print" your book with anyone who will take it, then go with it. That's fine by me and I honestly don't think anyone will argue with you. With that said, if that isn't your goal, my question to you is, "Why are you jumping on this other opportunity if it isn't what you want?"

Yes, I know many of you have found some great excuses and justifications for this decision. The biggest one I see is, "but it will get my name out there" or "but I'm building my readership." Maybe. Maybe not. But the bigger question is whether or not this move is hurting your chances of doing what you really wanted to do. Will those traditional publishers, the ones you said you wanted to work with, really take you seriously? You might want to check on that. Will your move into this other business turn you off because this isn't what you wanted? I have talked to far too many authors who have really gotten a bad taste in their mouth from taking that approach.

The point is simple. Determine your goal. Stick to your goal. And most importantly, quit justifying a short-cut that really isn't what you wanted to do in the first place.

Scott

On Goal Setting

I know most people try to make goals around New Years Day, but as we all know, most of the time we completely forget what those goals were. I honestly think that is why we have Spring. It is our "second chance" at making things better. The weather gets better, the flowers start to come out, you might even start making home improvements (I know we did with a complete makeover of the master suite this weekend). And with all of this, we start thinking of things we want to do better.

As I listen to people making goals, however, I realize that the simple reason many people make goals is "they haven't made any." They have dreams but not goals. So, let's talk about goal setting today.

First of all goals are things that we can achieve. These are not things that we hope might happen or things that are beyond our control. For example:

• Good - I want to finish my book by the end of Spring Break
• Bad - Want to be on the New York Times Best Seller List

Why is this second one bad? Because it is something too many other people have control over. You can control the first one.

Secondly, goals are measurable. You have to be able to monitor how you are doing and when you have actually achieved your goal. For example:

• Good - When I sit down and write for a 2 hour period of time, I want to be able to write 15 pages.
• Bad - I want to feel good about my writing.

Simply put, how can we measure the second one?

Finally, goals have to be achievable. Too often, writers set goals for themselves that can never be achieved due to a lot of other variables. Sometimes life is going to get in the way. Sometimes it is just an impossibility. For example a writer may say they want to write 10 full length stories in one year while working full time and with kids still in the house. Probably not going to happen.

Now that we have got that into your head, I want to leave you with 4 questions that a friend of the family learned while working in a juvenile detention center. While these dealt with problem solving, I think in many ways these also work for goal setting.

1. What do you want?
2. What are you doing right now to achieve it?
3. How is that helping?
4. What should you be doing?

If you are struggling with "goals" you may have set for yourself, go back to these 4 questions. In our house we call them the Magic Questions. My bet is you will find the answer really quickly.

Oh, and one last thing. Goal setting is not a passive activity. You have to get off your behind and do something about those goals.

Now, get out there and get to work.

Scott