Your Name In Lights!!!

I wanted to share some more of the great tips I received last week during Kerri Nelson's "Book Factory" workshop. Last time I talked about breaking your day down into 15 minute increments. The next step is GOAL SETTING.

Wait...I hear the groaning. Stop it right now. Let me explain....

Okay. Look. I DETEST setting goals. Why? because I NEVER, EVER, EVER achieve them. I waffle and wiffle and procrastinate. And never succeed. But I still make the goals. I torture myself because I need to remember that having a dream and taking the steps to bring that dream to fruition is part of the creative process. It's part of the God given talent we all have to create. To make something happen we have to be able to see what the end result is, right?

Do you think during the creation God just waved a hand in the direction of the earth and said, "Oh yeah, I was thinking a few animals might be nice"? Of course not. I'm sure He took as much time as He needed to perfect each aspect of of each animal before moving on. Time to measure and review and troubleshoot. Just like we have to do with our writing.

So No. 1 in Kerri's goal setting step is the "big picture goal". What is the end result you are reaching for? And not just finish a book. Or find an agent. Or sell a book. What is the impossible dream you want so bad you can taste it?

What's mine, you ask? (Deep breath.) Okay, here goes. I would like to see my work be as popular as Twilight. There, I said it. (Blush.)

I put up a picture of the cover of Twilight with my goal written on the top on my bathroom mirror, like Kerri suggested. It's to remind myself daily why I'm doing this crazy thing, and to boost my flagging spirits when the road gets bumpy.

So take a minute today and think hard about what your ultimate goal is. Do you want to see your book made into a movie? Do you want to have a whole shelf in Barnes and Noble that has book after book on it with your name on the spine? Do you want people to build a theme park based on your books? Dream the impossible...it just might happen. Besides, without those dreams brightening the heavens of our lives, existence would be awfully dreary, don't you think?