Happy Wednesday to you all. Today I get to play hooky and turn this blog over to my dear friend, Liz Davis. I’ll start it off with a quote related to Liz’s post, and then let Liz do the rest of the work.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Thomas Jefferson
And now, here’s Liz!
“Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination, and disregard for obstacles and other people’s criticisms, carry out your plan.” Paul J. Meyer, motivational speaker
Know what your goals are, make a plan, and get to work. Sounds easy enough, right? If you’ve been reading Bill’s articles for any length of time, you know a plan is crucial if you’re going to make this writing gig work.
But if you’re like me, planning is a challenge. I applaud anyone who has a knack for coming up with a goal and building clear steps to get there.
Just the thought of being this organized makes my brain spasm.
So although I want to make writing a viable career, I wing it. It’s like I’m taking a journey across the country without a map, just following the pretty scenery until oops! I’m lost.
I’ve come to a point where I need to take my writing career seriously. The first step is to think of it as just that: a career with goals and daily objectives to get me there.
This requires a (gulp!) plan.
So how do the planning-challenged plan? How can you reach your goals when you can’t even wrap your head around the process it takes to get there? Well, here’s my 5-part strategy:
- Find Someone to Work With
I know planning isn’t my thing, so finding someone to help me carve a path to my goals is essential. Friends who have a knack for planning–whether they are writers, business owners, or managers–can make the task less daunting.
- Establish New Habits
I’ve been writing every day for the past couple months. The purpose of my daily journal is to develop a writing habit. In other words, I don’t publish most of what I write at this point. But every morning after I get up, I make my coffee and write. Now, instead of making time to work, it’s simply part of my morning ritual.
- Feel the End Result
The journey isn’t quite clear yet, but tickets are bought and clothes are packed. Feeling like my goals have already been accomplished is vital. I can’t base my goals on wouldn’t it be nice or I hope I can do this. It’s going to happen or it’s not.
Take the ball and run with it or head to the locker room because wishy-washy is neither fulfilling nor profitable.
- Read About Writing
I love to read books about writing, especially those on personal essays or memoir. Like any other job, learning is crucial if you want to advance. So right now I’m reading a book called Naked, Drunk, and Writing by Adair Lara. The author is hilarious and the book teaches everything you would learn in her memoir writing class.
- Lose the Excuses
The kids make great excuses when I can’t get things done. I have a four-year-old and a baby, and it’s apparent that neither one of them care about my goals! In spite of this, I have chunks of time that spring up throughout the day. If I take advantage of these moments, over time I can get some serious writing done.
Seth Godin said this in his blog post today: “Pretty good ideas are easy. The guts and persistence and talent to create, ship and stick it out are what’s hard.” Writing a list of goals is the simple part. Creating a plan and following through isn’t easy. Showing up for the job and getting help when needed is required. And that’s what I plan to do!
What’s your plan?
A NOTE FROM BILL
Thank you, Lizzy. I love the message, and I really do appreciate you taking me up on my offer and writing this blog post.
Anyone else out there up for the challenge? Drop me a line and let me know if you want to expound on writing on this site.
You can find Liz on HubPages as Radcliff…go here and say hello to her.
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 
This is great advice. Having a plan helps us to work through the difficulties and obstacles we face on a daily basis. It helps us to see beyond the moment and into the future of possibilities. In essence, it keeps our hope alive! When we have hope, we can accomplish great things!
Thank you, Denis, for stopping by and supporting Lizzy. I agree, of course, a plan is crucial for any writer.
Thank you, Denise! Concrete plans do keep hope alive and kicking.
Great topic, Liz. When I worked for someone else I had no problem planning and organizing my day. Now that I work for myself I can’t seem to get my head on straight some days. Fortunately, I’m finally getting work on a pretty consistent basis. But those days when I don’t have an assignment are the days that having a plan would help me out. I have been trying to make the most of the ’empty’ days by entering contests and searching the job boards. I even stepped out of my comfort zone and queried a magazine a couple of weeks ago.
Then there are those days that I just don’t feel like writing. I take that time to read or just chill. I’ve found that forcing myself to write backfires on me. When my mind needs a break, I comply.
Great tips for setting up a plan. I have yet to write one up. I need to further discipline myself to say I’m going to achieve such and such by such and such date. I haven’t wrapped my head around that concept yet. I’ll get there, tho.Things are finally starting to look up!
Glad to hear it, Sha! I’m the same way: I am organized in my planning when working for an employer or taking a class, but tend to be a bit of a scatterbrain on my own. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
I think I can just stay out of this today and let Liz handle the comments…thanks Sha and of course, thank you Lizzy.
Liz, we all sail in the same boat with regards to the goals!
Wishing you luck, my friend!
Thank you Ruchira!
Thank you, Ruchira! Same to you, my friend.
Good idea Liz about making writing part of the daily habit. Then it becomes a part of the day, along with the cup of coffee, rather than a chore or extra thing to add to the schedule. Good guest post choice, Bill!
Thank you Christy…I always appreciate you and your comments.
Thank you, Christy! Making writing a morning habit is the only way I’ll get it done, otherwise the day gets away from me and it’s forgotten.
Oh I think plans help so much! But I am bad at the follow through–excellent post!
LOL..Audrey, I think you speak for many. Thanks my friend.