Every Writer needs a mission statement

[Everly]

You can't start a business these day with ought a mission statement, so why do we think we can be writers with ought one. How will we know when we succeed?

Here is an article to spark your creative juices, so you can get started on yours.

http://ellelapraim.com/mission-statem...

[Paula]

Great post, Elle, as always.

Steven Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is an excellent resource for crafting personal mission statements.

Your article speaks volumes.

We creative types often fail to address such topics, and the psychology of success when driven from the point of a mission statement has been validated in the literature. It's a foundation we rest on, with inspiration and motivational value from which we draw forward momentum.

Bravo, Elle.
Paula

[Everly]

Paula wrote: "Great post, Elle, as always.

Steven Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is an excellent resource for crafting personal mission statements.

Your article speaks volumes.

We creative types..."

Thanks Paula, I am so glad you liked it. I have been meaning to read that book.

[Paula]

Treat yourself to a Goodread, Elle.

[Lynne]

Elle, you have a great mission statement. Mine would be along the lines of:

"To write engaging, thought-provoking fantasy novels that sell well enough so that I can replace my current income with my royalties and retire early."

[Everly]

Lynne wrote: "Elle, you have a great mission statement. Mine would be along the lines of:

"To write engaging, thought-provoking fantasy novels that sell well enough so that I can replace my current income wi..."

That's a great one Lynne!

[Lynne]

Thanks! I've got about eight years to do it, lol. After that, I won't be "retiring early"....

[Ännä]

Elle, I love your beginning question-how will we know when we've succeeded? That is very true and thought provoking. I think about this all the time. I've never thought about a mission statement much beyond specific goals. For me it's been more about finishing what I start. Now I know I can do that so I'm kind of rethinking as I go forward. Thanks for linking the article.

[Jen]

Excellent information and great topic. We use a branding plan taken from the book Primalbranding. I've used it now several times to develop a marketing and branding plan for many authors. Its a great foundation. But the one thing you have to have first is a goal, which we cover in the book Write It Forward by Bob Mayer.

You can find a lot of information on the branding plan we use at Write It Forward which is Bob Mayer's blog. I'm doing an entire series on it.

[Joyce]

I know that in my pocketbook at least that I would love to sell a lot of books, but when I really think about it, in my heart I want to write successful books. What does successful mean to me? It means that when a person reads my books, he or she says "Wow! I didn't know that!" I write historical fiction and that response is what I am waiting for. I want to make my readers interested in history. It isn't dull, but it is memorable. I write about WWII in the Philippines and the Great American Depression. My next book is called The Unsurrendered because it is about the huge guerilla movement during WWII in the Philippines, even the American soldiers who decided they would defy orders and join the movement rather than surrender to the enemy. It was similar to the French partisan group and many went on to become members of our CIA. It's fascinating, and if I can my readers interested in a part of history that I find interesting, then I get excited. One reader, after reading about the depression, said "he could taste the dirt and grit in his mouth after reading about the dirt storms." I know it sounds corny, but that really excites me. I'm 61, so perhaps my goals are different from others.
Joyce Shaughnessy
blessedarethemerciful.posterous.com

[David]

'To reach as many people as possible with my work, through endeavour and commitment and connecting with like-minded souls, and not to shamelessly sel-promote without getting to know and like others and their work'.

[Julie]

That's a great question! I've always wanted to write stories people enjoyed. To me, that means they won't forget them a day or week later. The novel sort of sticks with them. Maybe they thought, wow, I wonder what else this author wrote? Off the top of my head, I didn't care too much about the money. It follows, however, that a book that sells will produce money for the writer, and if they have one, their publisher. So ... I'll have to give this one some more thought. :)

[John]

My style is direct and honest--I don't pull punches or write as if I am getting paid by the word. My goals as a writer are to educate, amuse, engage, and yes, sometimes anger you the reader.

-To not force readers to edit my dreck.

-To not write dreck in the first place.

-To be my own worst critic.

[[deleted user]]

This is quite an interesting thread. I'll throw my several pennies in.

As a writer I want to tell stories that will entertain, engross, and touch those who read them. I want to create characters that live, to whom readers can relate, even if they're from ancient times (or times as recent as the American Civil war). And I want to write with skill and believability, to the point that I can sit down, myself, and say Gosh, this is good!

Someone came to me and said that she had been really struck (stricken?) by something one of my characters said regarding a time of trial he had been going through. She said it spoke to her.

We're all seannachies, after all..

[Christopher]

To show them. To show them all...

[Ron]

There is a dark side and a light side to every story. Keep it interesting and relevant. Be ready for new technology before technologists are ready for new technology.

Break the rules, and give all the people living inside of you a chance to shine.

[Stacy]

Hmm, interesting. For me, it's got to be, write the story YOU want to. That's the mantra that sold my first book. I know there are rules to follow and I strive to continue to learn craft, but if I don't love my book, then no one will.

[Red]

My mission statement and trademark quote is, "I welcome questions. I hate assumptions."

That of my indie publishing label is, "Dance above the surface of the world. Let your thoughts lift you into creativity that is not hampered by opinion."

[Jackie]

I was born with my nose in a book. I grew up solving mysteries with Nancy Drew, sailing the seas with Grace O'malley. I escaped a long, boring day at school by retiring to my bed at night and scaring myself to death with a Stephen King novel.
Of all the gifts in life that a person could get, it is the gift of books that has enriched my life the most.
I just want to give a little of that back :D

Great Article btw, there was a whole thread on this very same topic in another writer's forum I hang out in.

[Scarlett]

Such a good article, so so good. I agree with everything you said and you've got me thinking on my own mission statement!

[Terri]

Open your heart, free your mind, dance with time, and believe. Follow your passion. The only roadblocks are the ones we put up for ourselves.