Re-Evaluate Your Writing Career by Returning to Your Author Dream

Almost every aspiring author dreams of what their life as a published author will look like some day: Multiple best-selling novels. Lines that stretch out the door at book signings. A cabin in the mountains. Books made into movies. Fat advances. And, of course, spending every waking hour either typing up the next Great American Novel or responding to fan mail.

Obviously that picture is far from the reality of what the life of today’s average novelist looks like. In order to make a living in today’s writing industry, most authors don’t just write books. They also teach. Speak. Blog. Write freelance articles. Offer coaching, consulting, or freelance editing services to other writers.

Yet with all of the possibilities for today’s writer, how are we supposed to know which paths to pursue and what kind of business model to create? After all, being an author is equivalent to being an owner of a small business. Sometimes I can become distracted by all the ideas floating around in my head that I forget to remind myself of the Big Picture of my writing career—the reason I’m pursuing this dream in the first place.

So, for the new year, I’ve decided to re-evaluate my business model and where I currently stand along my writing path. How am I doing this?

By returning to my Ultimate Dream as an Author.

Of course, your career as a writer might not look the way you originally thought it would. But I believe that, if God has given you the desire and dream of being an author, then it must’ve been for a reason. He has a plan and a purpose for this gift of yours. What is it that He’s planted inside of you? Why do you feel like you’ve been called into this profession? Is it to reach the lost? To provide lighthearted and clean entertainment?

With all of the possibilities for today’s writer, it can often be tempting to get carried away in all of these money-making avenues. As you begin a new year in your writing journey, it might be wise to re-evaluate where you currently stand by going back to the start, to the very moment when you first felt that tug on your heart to pursue writing.

I advise doing this by getting alone with God and your journal. In your journal, write the answers to these questions…

1. What did I originally envision when I first felt called to pursue writing?
2. Is that the same vision I have in mind for my writing career today?
3. Are the steps I’m taking today leading me toward reaching this Dream Author Career?
4. Are the decisions I’m making supporting my mission statement as an author?
5. What do I believe God wants to accomplish through my writing career?

By answering these questions, hopefully you’ll be able to see your writing career from a big-picture perspective—beginning from the time you first dreamt of being an author, to where you stand today, and finally, where you’re headed. As you journal, spend time in prayer and ask God to give you the vision He wants you to have for your writing career. If you’d like to take it a step further, you could even summarize this vision down to 1 – 3 sentences, write it on a post-it note, and stick it on your computer or at your desk. That way, any time you come across a career-altering decision this year, you can see if it supports this vision.

Sure, that crazy dream you first had when you dreamt of becoming an author might be a stretch. But what if there’s some truth in that? What if God gave you those desires for a reason?

Every new year brings with it an exhilarating rush of possibility. Another chance to reach higher, try harder, and pursue new goals. But before we rush toward planning the path before us, let’s not forget to first be still and seek our Guide, the giver of this gift. Tune your heart to His. Is the path you’re headed one that’s been mapped out by Him?

With every step, let’s seek His direction and guidance. If we do that, then we’ll remain in His will. And who knows? The vision He has in mind for our writing careers might actually exceed anything we could ever imagine…

Re-Evaluate Your Writing Career by Returning to Your Author Dream @TessaEmilyHall #writerslife Click To Tweet