These are some important questions to ask yourself so you can start learning about the conditions under which you need to grow as a writer.
- WHAT DOES YOUR DREAM LIFE LOOK LIKE?
Don’t be fooled by this generic question.
I want you to think about what is the most important thing to you.
For example, the most important thing in this world to me is my family. I want to make sure I’m doing everything thing within my power to set up my daughter’s life for success without compromising my dreams.
- HOW DO YOUR DREAMS SUPPORT YOUR MAIN PRIORITY?
In reality, your main priority is most likely not your dreams.
My dream life involves me making a living off of my writing. But, as I stated earlier it’s not my main priority. Building my career around writing could provide me with the ability to financially support my family and have a flexible schedule to spend more time with them if I think about it strategically.
Your main priority may be stability. Maybe your priority is to be financially free. It may be buying a house. It could be absolutely anything.
It’s your job to figure out how your dream as a writer could support the most important thing in this world to you.
Maybe you don’t want to make a living as a writer but you would love to pursue it as a hobby because it makes you happy and your main priority in life is to live as your most authentic self!
By writing out your answer, you’ll have more incentive to follow your dreams when you see how it could benefit you and perfectly fit into the life you want to build.
- HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK DO YOU SPEND TAKING ACTION TOWARD THOSE DREAMS? WHAT ARE THOSE ACTIONS? (HINT: MAKING PLANS OR RESEARCH DOESN’T COUNT)
70% of your time should be dedicated to action.
It takes 10 minutes to write a paragraph, and sometimes that will be all you have the energy for. That’s a paragraph that didn’t exist in your novel before.
It’s very easy to not open your document and use every excuse why it’s okay that you don’t write that day. But guess what? It’s also very easy to write a paragraph or to write for 10 minutes.
I’m not saying to only write a paragraph a day but on the days when you are struggling with motivation, just remember that your goal is to write every day, whatever that looks like. Our word count doesn’t have to be sizable to make a difference!
- IN COMPARISON, HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK DO YOU SPEND PLANNING TO TAKE ACTION?
30% of your time should be dedicated to planning.
(Just a note: This doesn’t mean I think 100% of your time should be or could be dedicated toward your goals or dreams. These numbers represent how your time is split when you are working on your goals.)
Planning for a writer can include a multitude of actions, such as brainstorming, plotting, research on editing, revision, grammar, and marketing. Even reading books similar to your own can count as “planning to take action”!
- IF YOU AREN’T WORKING TOWARD YOUR DREAMS AT ALL, WHAT’S STOPPING YOU?
There may be many obstacles in your way.
But your biggest obstacle is you.
It’s your mindset that your dreams are out of reach.
If you’re not working towards your dreams, they are out of your reach, because you simply aren’t reaching.
In summary:
Often we writers get caught up in so many other activities other than writing. Even if you convince yourself those activities your writing like plotting, your still only plotting and not writing and an outline is not a story!
Plans are necessary to successfully take action, but if you use plans to avoid action, then you will never see your plans fully realized and you’re wasting time.
If you’re planning to procrastinate, it’s time to reevaluate priorities and get serious about what it is you want your writer’s life to look like.
Your dream could be your reality.
Your story should be shared with the world and don’t convince yourself otherwise!