It Only Took Five Years
As the title suggests I’ve been writing for five years. Ok. It’ll be five years in September. I’ve had to accept this isn’t a hobby for me. It’s not something I do in my spare time. It’s something that I want to do. If it was just a phase, I would have gotten over it by now.
So I’ve had to step back and look at my career. It’s dragging. I will give myself leeway because the first half of the year was CRAZY time. But now the vacation is over. Up until last week I’ve been at a lost to what to do with myself. I gave my writing CPR when I wrote the 18k story. But writing that story gave me a light bulb moment.
I wrote this story with the intent to send it in to a publisher. It’s a themed story. I was able to write this story to submission. Something I have never done before. I kind of like.
Ok. Understatement. I love it. I have to thank Jennifer Leeland for planting the thought in my head to write in one genre. I’ve also decided to aim my writing at a publisher.
Dear baby jesus, I now have a GOAL for my writing career. Yes, it’s scary because I might crash and burn. I may spend the next two years writing toward this publisher and we probably won’t fit. But for me it’s better than writing willy-nilly and then hunting for a publisher who will take the novel, only to find my novel doesn’t fit ANYWHERE.
Again, thanks to Jen, she said the floodgates would open. I didn’t believe her. Yet I’m looking at my notepad and I have five ideas I can work with. I have one that’s knocking and yelling louder than the others. I even have a goals spreadsheet. I’m scary folks when I’m on a mission.
But, it’s never felt so good.
What is your career goal? It doesn’t have to be about writing, but if you are a writer do you have a goal? Are you still willy-nilly? Maybe you can join me. Put the goal out there.
Mine: Kimani Press Romance line.
Aww, spreadsheets, Sam will be so proud of you.
My goal is Harlequin Blaze and Kensington Brava. That’s my long term goal. My current goal, is to get a damn manuscript finished so I have something to send out.
You’re right about this being a crazy year, there’s definitely been something on the wind this year. I see a lot of people saying the same thing.
Speaking of my goal, I think I hear my manuscript whispering my name so I think it’s time to push away from the internet and get back to work.
When I started writing seriously, I wrote a 5 year plan and I made all my goals-(the last of which was to get something published) -in 4 yrs and 11 months (phew)
Now I have a new 5 year plan and I’m 3 years into that and most of my goals have been achievedi-all I’m after now is getting on a list NYT, USA Today-I’m not fussy LOL I’ll see how that goes
Congrats on setting a goal.
I’m still trying to figure out mine.
When I told Cherry Adair (at the RWA conference last week) that I write a bit of everything and wasn’t sure what genre I wanted to focus on, she said…”Either sh*t or get off the pot. Pick something and write.” Then she told me she expected me to find her at the next conference and show her what I wrote. :0
So far I’ve narrowed it to an urban fantasy and a y/a paranormal. Those are pretty close goals, right?
Congrats again!!!
Cynthia, I know! Sam influenced the decision to use a spreadsheet. I have a column for the days and I have a column for how much I’d written that day. I also have a spot to note when I submitted the book, when I heard a response and notes for the response.
Yes, scary.
And, maybe your goal can be finding out WHY you can’t finish an ms. Is it fear? Is it time management issues? Lack of word/page count goals? Find something that can put a fire under your butt. Or even just a different mindset. It’s amazing how attitude can change your motivation.
Kate, I’ve had “plans” before, but I only for show and too vague to really be helpful. Though it looks like you stuck to yours–and can I say has made you very popular.
Second, CONGRATS on meeting most of your goals three years in. That has to feel wonderful to know not only can you achieve your goals, but will probably have to make new ones soon.
Lastly, OMG KATE PEARCE IS ON MY BLOG!
Sorry, had to get that out.
Kaycee, that is wonderful advice, and it needs to be said more often to new writers. I think most of us come into this industry unaware that it is a CAREER. I mean really if we had bosses we would be more productive and much more serious about our output, goals, and learning as much as possible.
And, what’s wonderful is that now you have someone who has put a fire under your butt. Sometimes that’s all we need.
OMG Kate Pearce is on your blog! LOL I absolutely ADORE Kate.
My long-term goal is for writing to be my career. Full time, support myself with it, career. I had a false start with writing 10 years ago, and I learned a lot then. I think it helped prepare me to reenter writing with a different mindset, one that felt the weight of writing as a business, not a hobby, not an “OMG isnt this kewl” thing.
My goal includes a career plan, which starts with selling “Macey” in the next year and goes onto having three books sold to epubs by the end of following year. My five year goal is to have a book sold to NY.
Mel B and Kaycee, it’s absolutely a job. If you want to succeed you have to treat it like a job not a hobby.
And Mel, I know part (if not most) of why I don’t finish manuscripts. It’s self-sabotage and giving in to the the lure of the “new shiny” rather than sticking with a project until it’s finished. Of course, getting my NaNo book to a point where it is a complete story but only 33,000 words was a frustration I wasn’t expecting and one that’s continued to haunt me. Oh well all that and the fear of succeeding.
Voirey, this is kewl should never get old, but it should have a place.
Either way it looks like you came with your game face on this time around. There’s nothing like having a little experience under your belt to help guide your way through the industry. Having a career plan also helps you stay realistic and on track.
Best of luck. ‘Cause I love Macy’s story.
Cynthia, my problem with treating it like a job crippled me for a while, but it had more to do with how I defined “job” in my head. Job sucks the fun out of writing. I’m not scared of hard work. I thrive with a challenge. (You were here for NaNo) It’s the fear that once it became a job I wouldn’t love it anymore. I didn’t see I could love my job, have fun, and still take it seriously. I didn’t have the know how to make the fun and work balance each other out.
As for self-sabatoge…We all do it on some level. May not be just writing. Fear of Suceeding is real and alive. It’s learning how to cope. Learning that is what will make you a better writer while not letting it paralyze you. For a while, in order for me to get words down I had to tell myself No One But Me Will Ever Read This. It may sound strange, but it worked.
OR maybe you just haven’t found the project that won’t let you go.