So, what exactly should be in the plan for a new writer?
Where to begin?
Well, although it seems obvious….writing! A major part of successful planning is the development of specific/concrete goals. I am also a strong believer in developing goals that one can be successful in reaching, as this makes it easier to stay motivated. The key is making a specific commitment to writing; one that you can attain. I know some writers who simply make a commitment to writing a certain amount of time per day or week. Others will set their goals related to completion of a certain story or chapter within a particular timeframe. The bottom line is to become successful at anything, putting in the time is essential.
While quantity of writing time is extremely important in developing a plan to be a successful writer, another key component is developing the quality of your writing. I have found this part to be a lot less straightforward. There are the obvious paths of pursuing a formal degree through college. My experience however, is many people whom are interested in pursuing writing may not be able to pursue this avenue. When I first started writing again I did an online course at Gotham Writer’s School. There are plenty of these types of opportunities. I have heard Writer’s Digest University offers good ones as well. I think the key is though, that part of any successful plan for a new writer needs to include a concerted effort to learn/improve the craft through some formal training.
While I found the online classes helpful, they did not provide me the degree of depth I felt I needed. I continued working on the quality of my writing by pursuing a one-to-one mentorship and have found it to be extraordinarily helpful. The added advantage of the mentorship is it focuses specifically on my work so it fits into being part of my commitment of time to writing. It is important to note that both of these require taking on some expenses, with the mentorship being more expensive. That being said, it is money I feel is well spent and the truth is it is very hard to develop any business without the investment of some resources.
As part of my “other” profession, I attend conferences as part of my professional development and continued education. I have always found these events helpful and stimulating. Thus, as part of my writing plan, I set the goal of attending a minimum of two writing conferences per year. So far, they have been very helpful in learning more about the field as well as learning the craft itself. One of the goals of this website will be to summarize what I learn as I continue to attend conferences.
A final part of beginning your plan to be a writer becomes evident pretty quickly. As with any business, the business of writing requires a budget. Many of the activities I described above do require some expense and it is important to recognize and plan for this right at the beginning. It is important to think about how many resources you would like to put towards your writing career so you can begin to decide where they would be most effectively utilized.
So, if you are thinking of developing a plan for seriously pursuing creative writing, there are a few basics to consider right off the start. First, set concrete/specific goals for the quantity of time you are going to spend actually writing. In addition, pursue a professional development and continuing education strategy for learning the craft and improving the quality of your writing. Finally, develop a budget in recognition of the fact there will be some expense in the serious pursuit of a writing career.
