Today, I made a decision. My goal is to write full time within the next four years. I know four years seems like a strange time frame, but I recently took on a new job with a grant that runs for another four years. In my new position, I keep finding myself thinking about my future. I think about going to graduate school for an EdD or a PhD or going to law school. All of these things are just a distraction for what I really want to do. I want to write.
The thing is, writing is scary. I can follow the steps for another degree with reasonable certainty of success if I am willing to put in the effort and the hours necessary. There is no similar guarantee for writing. I can put in the hours and the mental effort, and I can fall far short of my goals. I can sell a handful of books. I can amass large quantities of rejection letters. I can spend more money on workshops, conferences, and book covers than I earn.
I have a confession to make. When it comes down to it, I have never really tried. Finishing my first novel, I had dreams of grandeur. I would be discovered. I would sell thousands of books right out the door. When that didn't happen, I became discouraged. I looked at writing as something to do in my free time, and when I didn't find any free time, I didn't write.
With that in mind, I have begun looking at writing differently this week. I am committing to writing 500-1,000 words per day. So far, I have met my goal every day this week. More than that, I am committing to a writing experiment involving Kindle Select, my current novel Flames in the Midst and the sequel. My next post will detail the plans of the experiment which will begin next Thursday, April 29th.
Writing is scary, but I'm up for it! By the way, if you are a writer, I invite you to share your average daily word count below.
The thing is, writing is scary. I can follow the steps for another degree with reasonable certainty of success if I am willing to put in the effort and the hours necessary. There is no similar guarantee for writing. I can put in the hours and the mental effort, and I can fall far short of my goals. I can sell a handful of books. I can amass large quantities of rejection letters. I can spend more money on workshops, conferences, and book covers than I earn.
I have a confession to make. When it comes down to it, I have never really tried. Finishing my first novel, I had dreams of grandeur. I would be discovered. I would sell thousands of books right out the door. When that didn't happen, I became discouraged. I looked at writing as something to do in my free time, and when I didn't find any free time, I didn't write.
With that in mind, I have begun looking at writing differently this week. I am committing to writing 500-1,000 words per day. So far, I have met my goal every day this week. More than that, I am committing to a writing experiment involving Kindle Select, my current novel Flames in the Midst and the sequel. My next post will detail the plans of the experiment which will begin next Thursday, April 29th.
Writing is scary, but I'm up for it! By the way, if you are a writer, I invite you to share your average daily word count below.
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