Aim for Writing Success

Writing success can mean different things to different writers.

Some writers may simply want to get a book or article published; others may want to be on the New York Times Best Sellers List; still others may want to make a living writing; and there are those who may be seeking wealth and fame.

The key here is to dig down and really know what your perception of writing success is.

Once you are certain what you’re aiming for, take the necessary steps to become the writing success you dream of.

Sounds easy, right? Well, we all know it’s not, if it were, there would be no struggling writers.

The first problem you may run into is actually realizing how you perceive success, or what you want from your writing efforts.

According to Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, the number one reason for being stuck and not realizing your potential or goals is the lack of clarity.

So, how do you fix this problem?

Step One: You Must Define Your Goals and Your Perception of Success

It’s not sufficient to state you want to be a published writer; you need to proclaim the specifics.

You want to be a self-help nonfiction author of published books and magazine articles earning an income of $100,000 per year. You can even get much more specific than that—the more specific your goals and intentions are the more likely you will attain them.

Step Two: Prepare a Plan

When you finally have a break through and know exactly what you want from your writing efforts, you need to prepare a detailed plan. Your plan, just like your goals, needs to be very specific.

Think of a recipe: You plan on baking a cake, but you’ll need more than just the ingredients, you’ll need the exact amount of each ingredient, the proper procedure for mixing them together, the baking temperature, how long to bake it, how long to cool it before removing it from the pan . . . you get the idea.

Now you’re on your way . . . you have specific goals . . . a detailed plan . . . but . . . you’re still not achieving success.

Step Three: Take Action

Think of the first two steps as the foundation of your house. To move forward toward success, you need to build the house.

This takes action; it actually takes more than just action, it takes ongoing action and perseverance to carry you through to completion.

Step Four: Projection

You have the other steps down pat, now picture yourself attaining your goals.

According to motivational speakers, you will have a much greater chance of making it happen by projecting success. This step encompasses a number of strategies such as envisioning, projection, projection boards, and affirmations.

Take aim . . . shoot.

Originally published at: 
http://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2016/04/10/aim-for-writing-success/

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author and children’s ghostwriter/ rewriter. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Writers on the Move and author online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing.

If you’d like more writing tips or help with your children’s story, check out: Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

If you need help with your author platform, check out Karen's e-class through WOW!:
http://www.articlewritingdoctor.com/content-marketing-tools/


MORE ON WRITING

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Plot or Character?

MAKE SOME MAGIC IN YOUR LIFE

Make a Magic Wand and Create Some Magic in Your Writing Life

This week, get creative and make a magic wand that will help your writing dreams become a reality. Many people are seeking a fairy-tale, quick fix to live a happier life. Here is your opportunity to bring a piece of that magical thinking into your own life. Visit an art supply start or your local dollar store.  

Obtain the items you would need to make two beautiful magic wands. Use your imagination and creativity to make magic wands that demonstrate your unique style and personality. You will keep one of these magic wands and give the other wand to a friend or family member along with instructions on how to use it. If you want to make a magic wand from scratch, wrap an empty paper towel holder in some glittery wrapping paper and glue a paper star to the end of it. Or you may choose to but a pre made wand at a costume shop or toy store and personalize it with your own artwork. Decorate your magic wand with paint, crayons, glitter pens or even old photographs or magazine clippings. Be gentle with yourself and resist the temptation to skip this exercise because “you are not an artist.” Give yourself permission to be messy, child like and imperfect.

Each day, spend some time holding your magic wand and imagining what wishes you would most like to be granted. Pretend as if your magic wand has real power. This exercise will help you instantly connected with a sense of joy and purpose. Be sure to write down a list of you daily wishes. Your daily list will tell you a lot about what is important to you and directly influence your writing goals. As you hold your magic wand feel how wonderful it would be if all your greatest desires manifested into physical form. Each day, spend at least five minutes imaging that your most coveted wishes have been granted. Visualize yourself on that seven city book tour or living in your new oceanfront beach house. Each day, spend a few minutes being generous and granting imaginary wishes to friends, families. You may choose to use your magic wand to end world hunger or help your daughter get into college. Lastly, spend a few moments granting positive and life transforming wishes to people that you do not like or have difficulty connecting with. For example, if your noisy, trash collecting neighbors annoy you to no end, use your magic wand to grant them a winning lottery ticket. At first, this exercise may feel forced or phony. However, with practice, you will notice that you genuinely feel more forgiving and generous in many of your relationships. Amazingly, you will also see the things you wished for showing up in your life. 

Quantum physics tells us that when we focus daily on a desired event or object with positive feelings, it is more likely to manifest in physical reality. So go ahead and surprise yourself with the mysterious powers of your new magic wand.

Aileen McCabe-Maucher is the author of the book "The Inner Peace Diet" which was published by Penguin on December 2, 2008. She is a licensed clinical social worker/psychotherapist who has helped many people find inner peace and discover their unique life purpose. Aileen has worked for over fifteen years as a licensed psychotherapist and registered nurse providing individual and group counseling to a diverse client population. Aileen is currently writing her third book and can be reached via email at innerpeacediet@gmail.com


Click on the link below to view free samples of Aileen's books:
http://www.amazon.com/Aileen-McCabe-Maucher/e/B003IUBRLK