Setting a Course for Your Author Career
I find that the average writer is very hesitant to set grand career goals.
God knows, when we're first starting out, it's enough just to have written.
You get that delicious "Holy shit! Look at all those words I wrote!" feeling.
Some of us want to take it a little further and pursue that first byline. Then our first book.
Few of us have a clear picture of where we want to be in ten years.
Yet, almost all of us have an opaque picture buried in our subconscious of what runaway success looks like:
selling thousands—or millions—of copies,
quitting that day job while telling our boss to stick it on the way out,
standing in front of hundreds of adoring fans at a book signing.
But we don't dare to make plans that could make that dream a reality.
Our impulse is to "just write" and then take whatever rewards happen to come.
It's safer that way. Supposedly.
We know the odds, so why aim for something and get our hopes when they're so likely to be dashed?
Let's exhaust some metaphors while we explore this question, shall we?
The problem with not choosing a destination is that it leads to meandering, and ultimately a feeling that you've wasted your chance to truly arrive somewhere.
It's like going out for archery practice because you want to be as good as Robin Hood, but then not setting a target and just randomly shooting arrows into the woods.
The truth is, the only bad thing that can happen to you from setting a goal is experiencing a negative feeling if you don't reach it.
But guess what? You're not reaching it now.
Your current approach isn't getting you any closer to your subconscious goal.
If you try and fail, you'll be no worse off than you are at this very moment.
Even if you do fail, you'll still come out ahead, because you'll grow as a writer and as a person just by trying to reach a goal.
And you're far more likely to attain the goal when you truly decide to go after it. That's when you'll actually start taking actions that are aligned with it.
A study done by psychology professor Dr. Gail Mathews at Dominican University found that you're 42% more likely to reach your goals if you write them down.
So that's your next writing assignment: Choose your destination.
How many books do you want to write before you die?
How many readers do you want to impact?
And, this is just as important, how do you want to feel while you're getting there?
The journey doesn't have to be a miserable slog where you're desperately in pursuit of the finish line.
Chart a course that puts an emphasis on improving your writing and deepening your connections to readers and other writers.
You don't need to know the how yet. Just set the goal. Write it down.
Start aiming.
You became an author because you wanted to make an impact. But, DANG…It's more work than you thought. It’s not just about writing, it’s about getting yourself and your book out there so you can actually build an audience and sell some books.
The Happily Ever Author Club is the place where smart, practical authors go to learn what works in book marketing, set goals, take action, build an audience and sell more books.