Goals
Helen Thayer is a tremendous woman. She was recently named One of the Great Explorers of the 20th Century by National Geographic, and she has done things that boggle my feeble mind. For example, she walked 1,600 miles across the Gobi Desert.
I can barely walk a mile on my treadmill.
She walked across the Sahara Desert--the entire Sahara Desert--following an ancient 4,000 mile trade route. She kayaked over 2,200 miles along the Amazon. She traveled to the magnetic North Pole accompanied only by her dog, Charlie. And, (think about this for a moment), she lived alongside a wolf den for six months, setting up camp a mere 100 feet away.
Yikes.
She is also the author of several books, and has, in my opinion, lived a very satisfying life. I listened to an interview with her on NPR the other morning and was impressed by something she said. I don't have the exact quote, but in essence, she said that a goal without a plan is fruitless.
Okay, sounds lovely. But what is it doing on a writer's blog?
There are several ways to write a book. Some follow a strict outline. Others write by the seat of their pants. And others, like myself, are struck by creative lightning, have a pretty good idea of how they want the story to end, and plod along toward it. As I've said before, it doesn't really matter which path you walk when writing a story, just so long as you walk it, but I think Helen Thayer's idea is also correct. You have to have a plan in place on how you're going to complete your novel or you'll never finish it. One goal may be, for example, to write 300 words per day.
I can't tell you how many people I've met over the years who tell me they are going to write a novel, and when I ask about it months later tell me that they haven't started yet. One day, they say, when I have the time, I'm going to get it done.
Well, here's a little secret: You. Will. Never. Have. Time.
Writers write a little every day, and step-by-step, like crossing the Sahara Desert, accomplish their goals. Dreamers dream and die without leaving a mark.
Which one are you?
I can barely walk a mile on my treadmill.
She walked across the Sahara Desert--the entire Sahara Desert--following an ancient 4,000 mile trade route. She kayaked over 2,200 miles along the Amazon. She traveled to the magnetic North Pole accompanied only by her dog, Charlie. And, (think about this for a moment), she lived alongside a wolf den for six months, setting up camp a mere 100 feet away.
Yikes.
She is also the author of several books, and has, in my opinion, lived a very satisfying life. I listened to an interview with her on NPR the other morning and was impressed by something she said. I don't have the exact quote, but in essence, she said that a goal without a plan is fruitless.
Okay, sounds lovely. But what is it doing on a writer's blog?
There are several ways to write a book. Some follow a strict outline. Others write by the seat of their pants. And others, like myself, are struck by creative lightning, have a pretty good idea of how they want the story to end, and plod along toward it. As I've said before, it doesn't really matter which path you walk when writing a story, just so long as you walk it, but I think Helen Thayer's idea is also correct. You have to have a plan in place on how you're going to complete your novel or you'll never finish it. One goal may be, for example, to write 300 words per day.
I can't tell you how many people I've met over the years who tell me they are going to write a novel, and when I ask about it months later tell me that they haven't started yet. One day, they say, when I have the time, I'm going to get it done.
Well, here's a little secret: You. Will. Never. Have. Time.
Writers write a little every day, and step-by-step, like crossing the Sahara Desert, accomplish their goals. Dreamers dream and die without leaving a mark.
Which one are you?
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