A few words regarding Goals.....

I like to joke about becoming rich and famous, but that's not a goal of mine.

Financial security? Absolutely. But I don't feel a need to earn so much money that the only joy in my life becomes watching the steadily ascending tally in my bank account. Besides, I suck at money management, I would probably just blow half of it on other people, buying family and friends new cars and paying off their bills.

So, while perhaps the friends and family that I was referring to above may now aspire for me to become rich and famous, I simply want my stories to become popular. I'd love to know that people are enjoying the stories that I have found entertainment in writing.

I'd like to show my son that dreams can come true, that just as when traveling the world can be a small place if you pick a direction and stay on that route, a focused approach to life can reap sizeable dividends.

Of course, this won't happen overnight. I fully intend to continue writing even if no one ever purchases another one of my books (and yes, October has been a slow month). I write mainly to maintain some level of sanity. I am constantly getting new ideas for stories, and if I ignore them it begins to drive me marginally insane.

So, if I don't want fame and fortune, what would be a specific goal of mine?

Let me preface my answer with a small lesson in the world of science fiction writing. There are many science fiction authors that are considered at the top of their field. Here is a very complete list. There are three prizes that stand above all others in the field of science fiction writing-The "Triple Crown" of SciFi. The Hugo, Nebula, and the Campbell awards.

My goal is this-to win one of these awards at some point in my lifetime. I do not expect to win the triple crown, as that would insert me into the dialog of some of the greatest science fiction writers of all time (I cannot conceive of my talent ever approaching that of Asimov, Gibson, etc. No matter how much I work at it).

But that is my goal. Not so much that I sell millions of copies, but that my work is in some way validated somewhere along the path of my lifelong writing career.

I'm not naive enough to think that some measure of fame or fortune would come my way if this happened. I know that it probably would, but the important thing is that I choose a goal that pushes me to write for the right reasons.

It may be a little late in the blog post to be getting to the point of this blog post, but here it is-I think it is important to know WHY you write. To shake hands with the creative force that drives you, and to come to grips with what you hope to accomplish.

My creative force is my love of the stories that I create, and what I hope to accomplish is to develop my talent over time to be considered a very good Science Fiction writer in National Circles.

I realize that these are big words coming from someone that hasn't released a single Science Fiction Novel to date. But trust me, it's coming, and it is the first in a trilogy that will be ambitious and break new ground. The story has existed long enough in my head for the edges of the world they exist in to become reality. The time is now to get them down on paper, and as a first step I have decided to enter into NaNoWriMo, or for those that haven't heard of it before-National Novel Writing Month.

My goal is to produce at least 50000 words in November. I have a couple of weeks left to finish fleshing out my outline (It's 90% done already, and these 50000 words, along with the 7500 I already have, will put the conclusion of my first novel in striking distance.

So, I have a plan, I have a goal, and I'm setting off in pursuit of it.

Wish me luck, lol.

Comments

  1. Kudos to you for a bold goal and clarity on why you're doing this. That can get you through a lot before long-delayed gratification finally arrives. Good luck on your writer's journey, and good luck on reaching the destination of your dreams! (See you back on G+.)

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