Introduction
The writer’s life isn’t easy. Sure, occasionally it looks easy, but there’s more to it than writing. And writing is more than just putting words on screen…
If you’re a fiction writer, the writing may be the fun part. (Actually, if you’re a non-fiction writer, the writing may be the fun part too). But then there’s editing (which is part of the writing process). And there’s outlining, plotting, research… (Yep… Still part of the writing.) Those might be fun too, but for a lot of folks, they aren’t.
Once you get past the writing, there’s still the other stuff. The stuff that isn’t writing, but we do to support the writer’s life.
- Paying the bills (And other money stuff)
- Marketing (And it’s more than a couple of social posts and ads…)
- Family and social needs (Sure, you can say you’re an introvert, but few of us really thrive alone…)
- Health needs (I like to “keep on truck’n” as much as the next author, but health matters)
- Planning and scheduling (Sadly, non-writing stuff happens and some times are better for submissions than others…)
- I bet you can think of one or two I haven’t mentioned… (I can…)
So… how do we deal with all this stuff?
Well, that’s what I call an N*1 situation. The answer will look a little different for each of us (and that’s ok!). There are some commonalities, however. Biggest and most important, we need to take conscious control of our lives. Don’t just ‘go with the flow’ or bounce along with the ‘life stuff’. Make some conscious decisions and take the steps to get your life and writing where you want them to go.
There are times to go with the flow. Sometimes the best thing to do is just ride events out. But that doesn’t mean we stop thinking and planning what to do. Opportunities will come and we need to be ready to take them. Even when we can’t spot the opportunities, we can plan for resources to take them. We can definitely figure out when to go with the flow and when not to.
How. We make some assessments and plan. In fact, if you’re serious about writing, you should probably consider a writing business plan.
A business plan? Seriously?
Very seriously. In fact, you might make several.
Several…?
Several. An overall plan for how you run your writing business (and if you’re going to do this professionally, it is a business…) and specific plans for books and series of books.
The overall plan helps you figure out that non-writing stuff, as well as important parts for the writing stuff. It’s a place to answer those questions like:
- Can I afford to hire an editor?
- Where would I find one?
- When should I be pitching/selling my work?
- Do I need an agent? (And if so, where do I find the right agent?)
- Can I hire someone to handle the money stuff? (Is that something my agent will do? If not, who should I hire?)
- How do I handle audience contact?
- Are there times I need to do non-writing stuff (Family gatherings… Holidays… That day job I’m trying to get rid of…)
- If I want to write full time and I’m not, how do I get there?
The big plan helps you put things in place so you can do the stuff you love, and have all the supporting pieces in place.
Individual, book and project plans address the details of individual books and projects.
- What kind of book am I writing?
- Who’s the audience?
- What help do I need? (We all need help sometimes… There’s no shame in that. In fact, knowing we need help and acting on it strengthens us.)
- Am I trying to attract a publisher? (If so, who?) Or, am I going to self-publish?
- What makes this book different from the others out there? (And that includes our own books…)
- What’s my writing schedule for this project?
- How and when am I going to edit it?
- How will I get the word out?
Even if we don’t have all the answers when we start (who really does?), knowing there are questions helps us spot the answers when they come.
And, it’s usually better to know about trouble before it happens. Having a plan helps us identify where those problems might be.
Yes, it’s more work. But it’s the work that makes the rest easier in the long run.
It’s about making it all work
That’s what it’s really all about: making it all work. Bringing success. Making what we do easier and more efficient.
Planning can be scary. (Trust me, there have been times I really didn’t want to look at the numbers either…). But it helps.
We’re writers! No matter how big the actual problems are, we can imagine something bigger. And without a plan, we often do.
Don’t just hope for success, dear reader. Make it happen.
I’ll see you next post.
Relevant Resources
