A Circle Of Ideas For Success

Yesterday's post centered around the making of a book--what an author goes through from start to finish. I hope anyone who read it will have a deeper appreciation of the books they read. The reader might spend a few days, or weeks, reading a book but the author spends far more than that.

Today, let's take a look at the poster that is a blueprint for success which can pertain to writers as well as others. It's not really new information but we can all do with a reminder now and then.

Step 1.  think: we all know how to do that but not all thinking produces useful ideas. Still, it's imperative to spend some time thinking if you are going to find an idea for a new writing project.

Step 2.  idea:  Not all thinking produces real ideas for the writer. Sometimes, however, an idea pops up and we're motivated to work on it.

Step 3.  try:  Who can fault this step? We all need to try out an idea; it's when we either make an outline or start a first draft. We feel good getting the idea that whirled in our head into words on paper or a screen but we know there is still much to do.

Step 4.  do:  And do is the next step. It's time to complete the first draft. Time involved will depend on whether your project is a short piece or a full book.

Step 5.  do again:  This is the part where we revise and edit to improve on our original attempt.

Step 6.  and again:  Here's where we begin to get a bit testy because we've done this twice now but it's still not ready to market. Alright, we say, let's do one more edit.

Step 7.  keep doing:  How many times can we slash, add, improve that first draft? If you're a perfectionist, there is probably no number that is going to be just right for you. If you're a hurry-up-and-get this done writer, you may not achieve the ultimate goal here, which is success.

Step 8.  success:  You can consider your project a success if you do all the steps above and have a completed story, book, or article that satisfies you. Or, you know you have reached the goal when the piece is published.

We all know that finding success with our writing projects does not come easy. That old You get out of it what you put into it adage applies here. Realistically, we know that not every idea is going to come out a winner.  But, if we're willing to work through these steps, we have a better chance at success.