Crafting your writing vision a la Cynthia Morris

A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to attend a writing workshop with creativity coach Cynthia Morris. The topic: creating your writing goals. But I took home more than a set of goals. I took home a renewed vision for where I want to go as a writer.

We started the afternoon by free-writing about what our versions of success might look like. (This and other exercises appear in her e-book, Create Your Writer's Life, http://www.originalimpulse.com/writerslife.shtml. It's a nice tool for clarifying your own writing vision.)

I've done the exercise before, but this time was a little different. I'm farther along the writing road, for one thing. I know what I like to write: science articles and books for kids, middle grade fiction (especially fantasy,) and a dabbling of YA. I know that I need to balance those heart-projects, which have lengthy payoff times, with projects that pay in a more timely fashion. In fact, that's my current writing struggle: how to do my "paying" work while remaining connected to my "heart" work.

The vision exercise helped me to realize that I am, in fact, on the road to where I want to go. It also helped me to see something I forget, sometimes. The paying work I do now is my day job—most writers-in-progress have those. It’s okay to give the “day job” its share of my time, but I need to commit time to other writing as well.

It’s also kind of cool to paint a mental picture of what “success” will look like for me one day. It helps me remember: hey, I’m going somewhere!

Next time you feel like your writing career is a fuzzy spot on the horizon, try this exercise. It's encouraging and fun--and it helps you see your next step.

:) Cheryl