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A Writer’s GMC
 Posted by Rita Henuber Jan 26 2012, 12:01 am GMC FOR AUTHORSLike successful books, successful writers haveGoals, Motivation, and Conflict.Think about it. Writers are no different from the characters we set up in stories. An author wants to write the best book possible and be published. Goal.It’s proven that individuals with goals are significantly more successful than those without. Think of your career as a book. Do you want to read or write about a character that wanders around a story doing nothing? Or do you want characters who have purpose, a goal? If a character’s goal is to be the president of the US he/she will have to do some things, have a plan, take steps to reach that goal. An author also has to take steps and make plans in order to be successful. Ding, ding, ding. GOAL.
In setting your goals be honest. Forget what your friends are doing. Decide what it will take for YOU to reach your goal. What’s your plan to reach the goal of great book and publication? This is important. It’s said that the main reason primary goals fail is because there are no secondary goals made. By this I mean if your primary goal is to write a book your secondary goal could be to put your butt in the chair and write so many words everyday. You may be saying, “well, duh, of course.” But you will be amazed at how many people do not make secondary goals. To me this is same as saying I want to go to Paris and standing on the curb in front of your house expecting a 747 to land and take you there. To reach your primary goal and keep you on track develop daily, weekly, monthly, yearly goals. Be realistic. Don’t say you’re gonna write 5000 words a day when you know you’re only going to have time to write 500. You may discover to reach a goal can mean making a decision about what you need to give up. How many times have you said I don’t have time to write? Examine how you use your time. Perhaps cutting down on the two hours you spend cruising the Internet or three hours you watch TV every evening.I pulled up my three year plan goals. I also told myself if I had not sold in five years I would quit and take up something easier like bull riding or gator wrassling. Thank gawd it didn’t come to that. I am NOT saying these should be your goals. I’m giving it as an example. I put an asterisk next to the ones I accomplished. You will see I did not make the write everyday goal. Life, as it does all of us, reached out and head smacked me several times.Goal – Year 1
Goal – Year 2
Goal – Year 3
A writer’s reason, or Motivation, for writing and being published is important to acknowledge. As in a book, motivation has a direct effect on your goals. Is your motivation to see your print book on the end display at a brick and mortar store? Goal: research editors and publishing houses. You say you want to prove to all the naysayers you could do it. Goal: Save money to rent billboard and take full page newspaper ads to say nanny-nanny-boo-boo to all of them. Perhaps you promised your dear great-auntie you would write and publish the family history and Indie e-publishing is the way you’re going. Goal: Learn about e-reader formatting and research cover artists. What I’m saying here is, every choice YOU make requires different goals. In a story, characters motivation keeps the middle from sagging. For the author, motivation keeps you from sagging in the time between you finished the book and it is published. You know, that time when you’re looking for representation and a publisher to buy the book or working hard at Indi-publishing. It’s rough and staying focused and motivated is extremely important.Define your motivation. Make a sign or banner and put it where you can see it every day. Believe it will happen. Believe in yourself. I struggle with this every day and I do mean every day. Before I get out of bed each morning I repeat several things.
There are several more very personal ones. I swear to you, on the days I forget to repeat these things I am grumpy. I believe in the power of the mind. Whether you say you can or can’t do something it immediately becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.And now we come to Conflict. We are told conflict, conflict and more conflict is what makes a good story. Conflict, conflict, and conflict does NOT make a writer’s life good. Let’s face it eliminating conflict is not possible. We all have it in one form or another. Does the day job suck the life out of you? Have a day job, care for a family and write? BTW if you do, I am in absolute awe. Do family and friends give you grief about your writing? Do you have a new baby, children home sick, or both? Have a fear of failing, or being successful? Fear of receiving a rejection letter? You are not alone. Can’t say it enough, we all suffer with conflict. I suggest you identify your conflict and make a plan to overcome it, short circuit it and or avoid it. To achieve a happy-ever after ending in your story, you make your H&H work hard to overcome their conflict. Why should you be any different? You give your H&H an escape plan when a meteor is on a collision course with earth. Do the same for yourself.You are the Heroine, or Hero, of your own story.Use Goal, Motivation, and Conflict to ensure your happy ending.Share:
              
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Love that nanny nanny boo boo thing. There might be a few people, come to think of it…hahaha.
So true you are the hero or heroine of your life, each choice you make today creates your future tomorrow, pretty awesome (or scary) if you think about it. Love how you talk to yourself before you get out of bed, great idea, good way to start the day!
I believe all events in life are onnected, woven together to make the fabric of our lives.
Rita, Great post! I’m a goal setter, at least short term. I’ve never really set goals beyond a year, but you’re right we should. We are a business and such have a plan.
I love your take on conflict. You’re so right, we all have it. At our day jobs, if problems pop up, we roll up our sleeves and find a way to resolve them. Why shouldn’t we in our writing.
Okay, I’m off to handle a conflict and get some goals back on track. THANK YOU!
Hope it’s not too big a conflict Autumn. And yes writing is a business no doubt about it.
Rita,
There are so many things I love about this post.
First, I loved that you’ve shared your goals. This is my second year of focused effort and I’m inspired by your list and perspective.
Second, I realize I need to define my motivation. Not quite sure how to do that but I agree with you about self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams cannot become manifest if they’ve not been imagined or believed in. This idea hit me like a ton of bricks when I was suffering through seven years of infertility. It’s so true.
Third, I fear success more than failure. Hm. Maybe now is the time to figure out why.
Thank you for the wisdom. I hope this year you wrassle your goals to the ground like they’re a pack of snapping gators.
Sometimes we fear moving ahead because we have to move out of the comfortable place we make for ourselves.
I live down the street from the alligator farm. I have them on speed dial. I called a lot asking if they have any jobs open. They tell me no and to go back to my writing.
LOL. Them gators recognize talent!
I bet those gartors know you have a big 45 and you’re not afraid to use. LOL
Woudn’t shoot one of the darlings. best to thump them with a broom.
Rita, I just love your post. So inspiring, and funny, too! Off to tackle my own GMC!
Thank you Miranda. Get that GMC under control!
Thanks for reminding me that I’m a heroine. It helps to remember that sometimes.
Love the concept of GMC in our own lives, but I also love that you shared your own goals. (Boy, they look familiar! LOL) I really believe success comes to those who work hard and are ready when that lucky break hits, and having your goals mapped out really helps.
You my dear are definitely a heroine.
And I do believe you’re the person that kept me from reaching one of my goals.*Grin.*
LOL – You had me thinking hard on that one… wondering which goal. In my mind, we were all winners. I really think we have SUCH talent in our group!
I know. I rarely think of who actually won the GH. It was the call, the excitment and so many other things.
Too few of us seem to realize that we ARE the heroines in our own stories. It’s doubtful they will make movie or book forms (thank heaven), but they are ours, and it is up to us to make them into what we want them to be. I’m not a big planner, but this late in the game, I’ve made a few adjustments, some of which you mentioned. Positive affirmation being one. If I don’t believe in me, ain’t no one gonna believe in me.
Excellent post, Ruby sis. Without GMC in our books, they’re doomed to failure. The same can, most definitely, be said for our aspirations—as long as we persevere to overcome C.
Better late than never my dear. Some like to say life is the real thing it’s not a dress rehearsal. While that may be true, we still get do overs.
Seriously EXCELLENT post, Rita.
You know how a heroine’s GMC can be a moving target? Primary goals subverted by new ones as the plot develops? I like to keep some flexibility in my goals, so I can roll as situations change. Just last night I decided to flip-flop two books on my writing agenda.
Love this thought, Rita. The writer’s GMC.
Thank you. One of my favorite sayings is, “when things don’t go your way, change your way.” Like you say situations change. The overall goal remains the same but the route we take to get there can be altered.
What a GREAT post, Rita!!!! I love this. and I love your breakdown by year. Super nice job, you!
Thank you.
Love your goals, Rita. Made me think about setting some of my own (rather than my normal spaghetti-sticking-to-the-wall approach). Seeing those goals written down and then achieved would make the accomplishment that much sweeter, I think! (And boy did you do a great job achieving yours!) Congratulations.
I love those positive affirmations, too, Rita. Great post!
Yes writing the goals down and reading them over is a big deal for me. And I haven’t done them yet for the next two years. Short-term goal is to have that done by Saturday evening.
Rita–love this post so much I’m printing it out! Boy I think I needed this right about now. And lol–on the gator wrassling! I like the affirmations too. Thanks for a timely post. I’ll be working on the goal thing…
Glad it helps.
Awesome post! Loved it!
Thanks Annabeth
Great post, Rita. My goal right now is to self-publish my first book for Valentine’s Day. To achieve that, I realized I needed to give up watching so much television. I set a secondary goal for myself. I will not quit working in the evening until after 8 p.m. Hence, that is why it’s now 8:30, and I’m just getting around to reading the Ruby blog. Sorry I’m so late to the party. Once I start messing around on the Internet, I don’t quit easily.
Hmmm. I live in EASTERN STANDARD TIME. Why are the timestamps on the posts an hour ahead of me. I would have to be the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for it to be 9:30 instead of 8:30. Is our blog set to Daylight Savings Time or something?
I hear ya on the internet thing. Great goals! And yes LOL the blog is on Daylight savings time.
Nice post, Rita. I think it’s important to develop goals for yourself each year, and then review them at the end of each year. One of the best things I did was join a loop started by Amy Atwell called GIAM which is an accountability group. We report our progress every week and it’s kept me grounded in my goals and very much accountable to my peers. I think it’s really helped me make steady progress every day in the direction i’ve wanted to head.
Thanks for the reminder that we need GMC as much as our characters.