“If you just imagine yourself as a successful writer, you will be a successful writer!”
No. You must do more.
That’s why the Nike slogan “Just do it” is more powerful than “Just dream it.”
I’ve always been a little skeptical of just visualizing what you want to be. It’s so easy to get stuck in the dream stage.
You want you to write the next great American novel. You want to be the next successful blogger. You close your eyes and imagine and dream about this all the time.
But then you open your eyes. You see the beige cubicle walls surrounding you. Or you’re at home, and when you open your eyes, you see and hear your kids arguing with each other.
How do you turn your vision from currently working in a cubicle to the reality of being a successful writer?
You just have to write.
Dreamers talk. They sometimes get that far away look in their eyes as they talk about wanting to be a writer.
Maybe that’s the problem with that “far away” look. Because to them, the dream is so far away from their current situation, that it seems out of reach.
But it’s not. Your dream is right in front of your face. It’s as close as the notebook in your purse, or the laptop sitting on a kitchen table or in your home office.
Writers write. They may or may not be published (yet), but they are writing.
Here are 3 ways to switch from a dreamer to a writer:
- Plan – Writers write down a plan for their next blog post or the next chapter of a book. They write a list of editors or bloggers for pitching article ideas or guest blog posts. Writers don’t procrastinate. They set up a daily/weekly schedule to start and finish a writing project, even if it’s in daily increments of 30 minutes or an hour.
- Brainstorm – Writers keep one or a few tools handy, so they can jot down ideas at a moment’s notice. It can be a pen and a small notepad. Or the Notes app on an iPhone.
- Write – By now, it sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But this only becomes obvious after you see on paper (or on a screen) that you do have time to write, and the ideas to form stories or blog posts. You see that you have an hour this evening to work on a magazine article idea. Or that you have 30 minutes tomorrow to start your next blog post.
Now you might ask, “But, is vision not important? Isn’t it good to keep in mind my long-term writing goals?”
Yes, it is. And be sure to write down those goals, too.
It’s okay to imagine yourself being a successful writer. Just don’t get stuck in your dreams.
Wake up!
Grab a pen or a laptop and write to make your dreams come true.
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Writers write. I love that because it is that simple, yet so difficult. I do better with a plan, but one that gives me flexibility. I’m not consistent at all so thanks for the gentle reminder to get writing!
I know what you mean, cmckane. I recently watched a video featuring marketing coach Michael Hyatt. He talked about the importance of making an appointment for writing and other related activities. To paraphrase him: “If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen.” I find that when I set an event on my iPhone calendar to write for 30 minutes on Saturday at 3 p.m., there’s a really good chance that a rough draft for something (a blog post, a possible magazine story, etc.) is written. I even move around other to-do items, to make sure I meet the appointment. Thanks for commenting about this post and please let me know if I can help you with anything.