Your Vision for Getting Published
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Mar 26 2020
When you’re dreaming of getting published it’s important to have a vision. It’s also important to stay nimble with that vision.
Anyone who has written a book knows that you can’t always control where that book is going to go. Characters take over, scenes take over and suddenly the book you thought you were writing is not at all the book that was written.
The same holds true for a publishing career.
Your plan is to publish a cozy mystery and branch out from there into thrillers and picture books. You will be published in multiple genres and later get your own imprint. Specifically with Penguin Random House.
But then thrillers tank and you realize that writing picture books is not really your forte. You’ve become a bestseller and huge name in cozy mysteries, but you’re still not happy. The imprint is elusive.
Although you are one of the biggest names in mysteries and have quit your job to move to the island and write you are disappointed that you haven’t achieved your dreams.
I’ve seen it.
I’ve seen the author who long ago set a vision for what success looked like and failed to see the success they were experiencing. They were never happy because the dream they set years ago isn’t happening.
Goals and visions need to be nimble. They need to be evaluated yearly and adjusted accordingly. Not achieving those first dreams does not equal failure. Success comes in many forms and sometimes has its own ideas. Embrace the journey and let your vision change with it.
Thank you Jessica for another insightful post. Your words are like a road map for writers on our writing journey. Love the word “nimble”. Reminded me of my ba ngoai, my Vietnamese grandmother and her words of wisdom through the years.
Thanks a lot for this, Jessica. Clarifying and updating my vision now!
Thank-you. The journey is the vision.
Yes, it’s a fine balance between being driven enough to reach for the sky, and humble enough to look at your achievements and dreams from a different perspective.
Thank you for this poignant post. I appreciate the reminder to be creatively ever present,
to listen deeply for what’s next with one’s characters, story, and life in general.
Wow! Thanks for the reminder that I don’t have that island yet. Seriously, I love what you said and will stay try to stay open and flexible even in a pandemic.
I guess it’s easier to keep your vision of success more general – published writer, versus published writer of x, y and z. Although being that writer that can move to an island does have an appeal 😉