Your Personal Writing Vision Statement What, Why, and How

Your Personal Writing Vision Statement What, Why, and How A personal vision statement for your writing career is a simple line that distills your values and ambitions into a practical mantra you can live and work Many of these are full of corporate speak, but the best are pithy and compelling. LinkedIns is to connect the worlds professionals to make them more productive and successful, while Kickstarters is simply to help bring creative projects to life. As a writer, you are a business, too. Your personal vision statement will help you decide what activities to focus on and where to spend your time and energy. Its a great guide at times of indecision or difficult choices. An example: My writing vision statement is simply: To earn a living as a full-time, family-first writer of humorous, engaging fiction novels and short stories.   Theres a lot packed into this for me. Im interested in a sustainable career, rather than fame and fortune. I dont write poems or scripts (for now anyway). Humour and emotion are my key ingredients. But I dont want any of this at the expense of my family. Using your statement A simple statement like this is that it can give you a reason to say No to things as well as Yes. Should I take on that freelance opportunity? No, because although it might make me some money, its not in my area and will eat into my time for creative writing. Should I go for a run? Yes, because staying fit and healthy has a positive impact on productivity. Should I enter that comp? No, because the prize is a week in a writers retreat in Mexico and that wont work for me, family-wise. Shall I submit a flash to that magazine? No, because flash isnt my target genre. Should I stop writing and make my sons breakfast, even though I got up early specially to write and he shouldnt be up for another hour?! Yes, because family comes first. Developing your mission statement Heres my suggestion for how to develop yours: 1.      Jot down your perfect writing future. Is it about awards or critical kudos? Is it about a sustainable income or writing a bestseller? Do you have an idea of your ideal workspace, or how much you want to make each month? 2.      Ask: What do I want to stop doing? Do you want to give up your day job? Do you want to be able to turn down certain kinds of work? 3.      Ask: What do I want to do more of? Are you a natural world-builder or a cozy mystery type? If nonfiction, what sort of topics do you love writing about? Is there a particular book or genre you want to be writing? Where would your books sit in a bookshop? 4.      Ask: What effect do I want to have on readers? Do you want them to escape from everything for a while or make them think about society? Putting it all together Now boil it down to a powerful sentence you can remember. Dont include every detail – this statement is just for you, remember, so you dont have to spell everything out. In my statement, family-first is shorthand for a lot of my personal values, for example. Print your statement, stick it over your computer, and use it to help you stay on track. And as you get closer to your goal, be ready to update it to reflect the next stage of your journey. If you have a statement to share, wed love to hear itHope will post some of them next week.