Written by JessicaBFry

Creating Effective Goals as a Writer for the New Year: Step One

When the New Year rings in (whatever time of year that might actually be for you), writers across the world often add "write more" or "market more" or something similar to their list of goals. In fact, the first few weeks of the new year often show the beginnings of many great futures. But just as it's hard to keep jumping on the treadmill or cutting back on portions after the newness wears off, it's hard to keep with it. And those nebulous goals gradually start to wear

One of my favorite scenes from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is Alice's conversation with the Cheshire Cat. While the scene rather rambles in an amusing fashion, the pertinent part comes when Alice asks the Cheshire Cat for directions. He asks if she knows where she's going. Of course, she admits she doesn't. And to this, the Cheshire Cat replies that it doesn't really matter which path she takes as she doesn't know where she wants to go.

This is true for us as well. In fact, it's true for just about anyone in any situation. If we don't know where we're going, we will probably wind up somewhere else. And if Murphy's Law still holds true, it will probably be somewhere we don't want to be.

When you are considering what it is that you want, you shouldn't be afraid to dream big. Your end goal is your end goal. So if you want it, be honest with yourself. And please don't feel silly.

Let me tell you what some of my end dreams are, and maybe that will make you feel more comfortable with yours. I want to open a studio that focuses on publishing and promoting quality speculative fiction in both book and film form. Yes, that's right. I want a movie studio. And you know, that's not quite enough for me. I want it to be a movie studio that produces live action and animated films, including the old school hand drawn two dimensional animation. Oh, and naturally, there will be dramatic readings of the produced books. In other words, not just one narrator but a voice cast, more on par with a high quality radio production. And because it will be a self sustaining business, there will be no need of advertisers or corporate sponsors, allowing the highest level of creative expression and story integrity.

The Tue-Rah series will of course be one of the series brought to life through this studio. I even have most of my cast picked out for Tue-Rah the TV series, which will be filmed with movie quality but over a few seasons (maybe eight). And the Tue-Rah books will, of course, be international bestsellers, translated into many different languages with full artistic coverage. There will be encyclopedias and even a couple games and apps and so much more. And as far as the writing of other series goes, I intend to tell all of my stories and get them published through various means, topping multiple charts and bringing all of the worlds and characters in my head into completion. The writing and creative processes will be enough to provide for myself and my family and to pay off my family's debts and others.

There's a lot more to my dreams, and if I look at it all in the distance, it's quite exciting. Except that if I put those goals down just on their own, it's also quite overwhelming. And little wonder. My dreams are far larger than anything I can realistically accomplish on my own, and naysayers are quick to point out that they are about as real as the little smoke sculptures Gandalf puffed out in the beginning of the Hobbit. I was actually rather hesitant to share these as a few times I have been openly mocked, and my peers used to take great delight in making fun of me for these hopes and dreams. But that doesn't matter. The point is to dream big.

So now it's your turn. Think about what it is that you really want. What does success look like for you? At this point, you don't have to think small or what you can actually accomplish. Growth occurs when we are pushed beyond our comfort zones. But you need to know what it is that you want. And after you have thought about what it is that you want, write it down. Write down every component of that dream goal. The more you can visualize it the better. If you're so inclined, maybe consider creating a Pinterest board with visual representations of what you want.

Next time we're going to talk about what to do with those dreams next. Until then, dream large and think big.