Mission Not Impossible

One of the most discouraging things I witness among writers, especially those new to the publishing game, is a defeatist attitude.  They didn’t start with that sort of attitude, but developed it over, most often, a short period of time.  The common denominator in most cases stemmed from the writer being led by their emotions and failing to meet impossible goals.

Setting goals is very important to a writer.  Using our gift is like an invisible electric current that powers us.  However, we have to be smart in deciding what kind of power (Ac or Dc), what level of input and output we generate, how to protect, grow and benefit from our efforts, or else we’ll either blow up or burn out.  Writers often choose to either be Edisons or Teslas, when we should be a balanced combination of both.  Edison, though a genius, was a bit of a brat, egotist and though brilliant, failed to see the potential in his assistant, Tesla.  That assistant, also equally brilliant, failed to concern himself with the practical, pragmatic and business side of his ideas, that eventually cost him the patents and esteem that should have followed his work.

For writers - setting ‘reasonable’ goals, laying out a method to achieve them, and then have enough vision to see the bigger picture to continually propel them forward, should be able to sustain them, and make those impossible missions, possible.   Take passion, though sometimes overwhelming, exciting and/or filled with anxiety, and filter it through rational thinking, good planning, and dedicated follow-through. 

So writers, whatever you’re currently working on, take a step back and evaluate the goals for that project that you’ve set for yourself.  Are they reasonable?  Are they planned through rational thoughts or passionate pleas?  Once you’ve determined you’ve got a good balance of both, then flip the power switch and watch your impossible mission become possible.

Till next time,

~T.L Gray