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Make A Writing Plan

Before you lock yourself in your room to write that best-selling novel or whatever, you should honestly ask yourself what you want to accomplish. If all you want to do is pen a few poems or write some lines of prose for your own amusement, then go now with my blessing and enjoy. But, if you want your talent to be recognized and rewarded and long lasting then you will need a "plan" of some sort before you start.

Because writing is not an exact science, there are no rules you must obey. What follows are only "suggestions" that I have found useful over the years.

MAKING UP YOUR MIND:
The first thing you should do is to commit yourself to writing. This means believing in your talent enough to visualize your success before it actually happens. On a Seinfeld television episode a few years back, Kramer planned going on a long trip. His friends doubted him, but Kramer pointed to his head and told Jerry, "Up here, baby, I'm already gone!" Of course, the line got laughs because Kramer was a real "gone" character. But the point it makes is that once your mind tells you something is true then your body will follow. So, commit yourself to your dream of becoming a successful writer-see it happening!-and before you know it success will be yours. They say faith can move mountains. Let your faith in your own ability bring mountains of personal and financial rewards to your doorstep.

COMMUNICATING YOUR INTENTIONS:
After you resolve that you are serious about your writing, you must relate that same seriousness to your family and friends. I realize that writers who are married to non-writers find this difficult. But you must try to make your loved ones know how committed you are. In the movie, "Cool Hand Luke," Paul Newman as Luke is dragged back in chains after he tries to escape from a backwoods southern prison. The warden, apparently believing that Luke didn't fully understand the consequences of his act, calls all the inmates together and tries to get poor Luke's "head straight" by saying, "What we have here is a failure to communicate." So, before you place your spouse or kids in leg irons for disturbing you, make certain you communicate with them from the start. Tell them you need time to write. Set down some rules. Don't fail to communicate beforehand how serious you are. Then, if these rules are broken by anyone, feel free to bring out the shackles.

STAKING OUT YOUR SPACE:
After you have made your commitment and communicated your intentions to your loved ones

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