Here’s My Big Goal. What’s Yours?
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Welcome to Spark an Idea Thursday. Each week we’ll share some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition to your blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!
This week’s “Spark an Idea Thursday” theme is about “something you want so bad you can taste it.” The idea is to share “something from deep inside that you have a huge will to accomplish – and what you’re doing to prepare for it!”
So here goes: I want to write a book and get it published.
Wow – that’s a really scary thing to say out loud. Am I the only one who finds it scary to tell other people about personal goals and dreams?
Bookstores and libraries have always been my favorite places. As a kid, I used to beg my mom to drop me off at the library and just leave me there for a few hours. I would wander through the shelves, picking up anything that interested me and reading it for as long as I stayed interested. It was fairly common for me to end up sitting on the floor in the middle of two giant stacks of books, wondering how I was going to pick 8 or 10 books to check out when there were so many to pick from.
I’m still like that. The only difference is that back then, I just assumed that I’d have a few books of my own on the shelves by this point in my life. And now I wander through the bookstore wondering how much longer it will be until that happens.
What am I doing to make sure I achieve this goal?
Well, I’ve spent a lot of time coming up with book ideas, learning how to write a nonfiction book proposal, and researching literary agents. I’ve ghostwritten books for other people, so I know I am capable of writing a book, and I continue to learn about the process of getting published.
But I think the time has come to take the next step. It’s time to get this party started.
So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to:
- select one book idea from my list;
- write a book proposal based on that idea;
- create a list of literary agents to contact;
- write a query letter; and
- send the query letter to the agents on my list.
I’ll keep you updated on my progress – and if you happen to notice a lot of time passing with no status updates, feel free to remind me of this post! Hopefully a little accountability will help me bridge the gap between “wanting” and “doing.”
How about you? What do you want “so bad you can taste it?” Share in the comments so we can help one another achieve our goals (and so I’m not the only one with her hopes and dreams hanging out there for all to see!)
Traci Feit Love is a freelance writer, editor & communications consultant for businesses that need smart, impressive content. To learn more or to sign up for her free e-course, “How to Get More High-Paying Clients,” visit her website at http://tracifeitlove.com.
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Christina Lemmey is the mother of two school-aged girls, a wife, and the owner of 
Good for you! I wish you only success! I can’t wait to see your progress.
Thanks, Jenn! Really appreciate the support
Do you have a deadline for yourself on this?
I always take more action when I put pressure on myself for a completion date.
@Kelly – you’re totally right. My deadline for the first step (selecting one book idea from my list of possibilities) is September 16th. That should give me enough time to make a good decision without rushing it. Once I hit that deadline, I’ll set the next one. Thanks for pushing me on this!
Good Luck Traci, you sound like a go getter so I am pretty sure you will get this done. Some advice…when I first knew I was supposed to write a book I was excited and nervous, that was in July of 2005. I was about to be laid off from my job so I decided to go back home to Hawaii and regroup and start on my book. After being there a bit I was offered the opportunity to ghost write a book for my former pastor…so I put my book aside and dove into his. I learned alot. However by the time I was due back to the mainland I had nothing to show for my efforts. Lesson one: Make a time line and stick to it.
Let’s fast forward to the summer of 2009. I felt really convicted that I had unfinished business to take care of and perhaps some of my difficulties stemmed from not following through on something I knew I was supposed to.
Lesson two: It never pays to disobey the inner voice that speaks to you.
As of today, I am finishing up my last chapter and I will sit on it over the weekend and reread it. On Tuesday the first draft will go out to the publisher.
Lesson three: Just Do It!
Look forward to reading your book!
@Brittain – thanks so much for your advice and support. Best of luck with your book, and please let us know when it’s published!
I fear that I have the same goal… although that goal is wrapped up in the concept of a highly popular website, and the publisher begging for my kind attention…lol.
Has anyone ever thought of taking this to the next level and getting accountable with each other. I am thinking of a forum for people to post their goals and dreams and times to accomplish them and well as the intermediate steps to be accomplished.
Like when are we going to send out that query letter? And how often? etc.
thanks for the Valueable post!
Good question!
Mine is to earn enough freelancing to eventually move out of the city and onto an acreage in the woods somewhere. I am about $1200/mo short of my goal right now – so close!
Good luck on the book! You have a built-in readership right here!
Wendy
@Wendy – thanks for sharing your goal with us! It sounds like you are on the right track. Good luck and keep us posted