career planning

Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren't sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better.

— JOHN CARMACK

HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT THIS?

As a writer, you must have something in mind — a story or a career — or you wouldn't have picked up this particular book to read. I know excellent writers who never get past the first five chapters when writing their books. I know gift ed writers who published a couple of books that didn't get much traction, so they became discouraged and quit.

There's something each of us must ask ourselves and answer honestly: How badly do I want to reach my goal? How badly do I want to see my name on the cover of a book? How badly do I want to see my book on the shelf at Barnes & Noble or online at Amazon.com? How badly do I want to quit my job and support my family on a writing income? Am I willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make my dream come true? Because, in the end, it all boils down to commitment and sacrifice.

You might look at another writer and see how effortlessly she seems to complete books, publishing them one after another. But I can guarantee you that behind the scenes, the process is not effortless. That writer has sacrificed to make time to write. She's created a plan and followed through.

It sounds deceptively easy when I put it like that. It's a simple strategy, but it's not easy to carry out.

Nothing about writing is easy. Nothing about writing is a given or a guarantee. No one has a crystal ball that will tell you whether or not you'll succeed in this business. But I can promise you one thing: Success as a published author is oft en predictable. After being in the same writing organization for thirty years, I can pretty much spot those who will succeed as soon as I talk to them and learn their work ethic, watch how they react to teaching, the market, and constructive criticism — whether or not they even want feedback speaks volumes.

Want to know how I can spot them? I ask these questions: How hungry are they? How badly do they want this? What are they willing to do — what are they willing to sacrifice — to make it happen?

Occasional overnight successes do occur, but truthfully, most overnight successes have been years in the making. Success is almost always the result of sweat, sacrifice, and tears. There are no secret handshakes, fast passes, or instant successes. Success is absolutely achievable. But to reach your dream, you are going to have to evaluate what and how you've been doing things up until now, and decide if you want to improve. I can't promise to help you sell your books. But I can encourage you to write better ones and to write with less frustration. In these chapters, I'll do my best to help you remove the exasperating hurdles that you'll face in the process.

When I used to teach a much briefer version of this book as a class, I'd pass out slips of paper for the participants to write down behaviors they wanted to change. At the end of the class, we'd throw these slips into the trash, symbolic of ridding ourselves of the stumbling blocks that hold us back as writers. As you read through these chapters, you can make notes on scraps of paper or sticky notes and do the same. The important thing is to evaluate your behavior at each step of the way: Have I done this in the past? Is this an activity or thought that's preventing me from moving forward? Own up to bad habits now and choose to change them for the better. You have a whole bright future ahead of you in which to make better choices.

Do Things Differently to See Better Results

Sometimes writers unintentionally harm their own interests with their poor habits. They oft en need a good friend to tell them to shape up. The chapters in this book are designed to help you look at your habits, both good and harmful. You'll be asked to take an honest inventory of your writing life and make decisions about moving forward with greater productivity and a healthier attitude.

I won't mislead you: Some time ago, I dragged my feet on proposing this project — even though it was something I wanted to do — because I knew how challenging it would be. I've given a class online and in person for years that is similar in content, but writing it all down and developing concepts is an entirely diff erent undertaking. I asked my good friend, "Am I shooting myself in the foot by not stretching myself and writing this book?" Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Yes." Sometimes, we all need friends to tell us the truth about ourselves.

Were you satisfied with your writing accomplishments last year? Can you see room for improvement? Th is year will turn out just like the last unless you take the steps to make choices and changes. About half the American population makes New Year's resolutions. According to www.statisticbrain.com, the top resolutions in 2016 were as follows:

1. Enjoy life to the fullest

2. Live a healthier lifestyle

3. Lose weight

4. Spend more time with family and friends

5. Save more, spend less

Past years' resolutions included quit smoking, quit drinking, be debt free, learn something new, help others, become organized.

University of Scranton research suggests that only 8 percent of people achieve their New Year's resolutions. Some might live with their goals in mind for a week, others a month. Many allow the resolution to slide away but then pick up the same resolution the following year.

Why is it the norm to fail? We make excuses out of fear or lack of motivation. My job has been really busy this year. After a day at work, I don't have any energy left . I have only an hour before I have to pick up the kids.

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