Goals, Plans and Wishes

When I first started writing, I wished a lot. I wished I could be a better writer. I wished that I would be published soon. Then when it happened, I wished that it would continue on a regular basis. I wished that I would gain a following of readers. I wished that I might win an award for one of my stories.

Wishes do come true, but wishing alone doesn't make it happen. You can make a list of Writer Wishes that spreads from here to there but that isn't going to ensure success. Sadly, we don't have a Writer Fairy who makes wishes come true for us. Oh, that we did! I'd talk ever so sweetly to her, send her little gifts, praise her to the skies. 

This is what my Writer Fairy would look like. Notice the expression on her face? It's as if she's telling me to get my own writer's life. I can almost hear her saying It's up to you, Honey. Wishes don't rain down like leaves in the fall you know. 

If she and I could sit down and have a cup of tea and some fairy cakes, I think she'd counsel me. She might hand me the poster at the top of this page. Read this and absorb she'd say as she nibbled at the tiny pink cake. Then I'd get 'the look' again. This fairy definitely has an attitude.

Three things you can do to become a successful writer:

1. Set a goal

2. Make a plan

3. Carry out the plan, step by step

I know that list is pretty general. It's up to you to add the sub-sections to it. You each have different goals, you'll each have a different plan, and every one of you will carry out the plan in a little different way. The main thing is to do it. 

There Is No Writer Fairy

The Writer Fairy visited my house yesterday. She waved her wand over the rough draft of a story I'd just written. Her wings fluttered and her emerald eyes sparkled as her wand skipped lightly over my prose. It was an exciting moment. I sat with my hands in my lap as she worked her magic. My story would be a masterpiece and editors would fight to publish it.

If you believe that, you're either a cock-eyed optimist or pretty gullible. But wouldn't it be nice if we had help like this? The sad news is that there is no writer fairy. There's only one person who can work any kind of magic on your stories. You!

The point of all this is to make it totally clear that , as writers, we are the one responsible for the work we produce. It's up to us to write that first draft, then let it sit for a few days and edit and revise. Then do it again. Do it until you can read the piece and feel a sense of satisfaction. That's when it's ready to send to an editor. It still doesn't guarantee publication, but you'll know you gave it your best shot.

If you belong to a critique group, run your final piece through the group and see what further revisions they might suggest. I've seen a few things come through my group when ciritiquers have said, "This is ready to go." But it's only been a very few. Almost all the submissions can be made better. The group can help, but it's still you who must put it into the final, all ready to go, stage.