OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! β Joanna Penn
I have big dreams as a writer, and as an entrepreneur.
But I often try to squash those dreams down because they feel too egocentric or too ambitious or too unreasonable. Not sensible at all. And I have always been a sensible girl, taking everything very seriously! I try to be practical and pragmatic and realistic.
But today I read this passage from the brilliant Julia Cameron inΒ The Sound of Paper, an excellent book to dip into for creative inspiration.
“A great deal of the time we dismiss our longings on the grounds that they aren't reasonable – and often they aren't. Where did we get the idea that life was intended to be reasonable? … We have very little evidence that sensible and frugal are actually qualities cherished by the Great Creator … Most of us have a dream that we could set sail if only we dared … Rather than act on these dreams, we often shoo them from our consciousness, saying ‘I need to be sensible. I would never be able to manage that.' But perhaps we can manage more than we think.”
This passage challenged me, so I am sharing my big dreams with you. Please share yours with me in the comments. Maybe together we can make some of them come true – even if it takes this writer's lifetime.
- I want to be a brand name fiction author – which means becoming an excellent, commercial fiction writer and all that entails
- I want to be a New York Times bestselling fiction author
- I want to write a James Bond book – maybe be the first women to do so – and have a book launch with a fantastic sports car and hot guys in tuxedos flanking me in a scarlet dress (inspired by the launch of Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver)
- I want my books to be made into action-adventure movies, preferably featuring Angelina Jolie, and I want to walk down the red carpet at the premiere
- and yes, I want to be on the Forbes list of the highest-paid authors π
Nothing too ambitious then?!
These dreams may be crazy and ambitious, but I also know the difference between dreams and goals. My current goal is to get the third novel in my ARKANE series, Exodus, finished before July. I know I can achieve that goal.
But our dreams feed our goals, inspire us and keep us focused on the future. I've always wanted to be a brand name fiction author, that's a little guilty secret from years ago, but I am definitely closer now than I was 3 years ago. Back then I didn't even have one novel. Our dreams have to start somewhere, right?
Wendy A.M. Prosser says
At present, simply finishing and publishing my first novel is a dream, though I, too, have long hankered after the red carpet treatment!
Joanna Penn says
Wendy, I have to challenge you on that one! Finishing and publishing your novel is a goal – it is absolutely do-able and under your control! The red carpet treatment however, is more of a dream – I’ll see you there π
Joanna Leigh says
I heard Jeff Goins say that you need to write because you want to write or need to. Hopefully, the Red Carpet treatment will come, but if you’re hoping for that at the outset, then you’re likely to be disappointed. So know that you want to get the story out there. That has to be the first priority.
Turndog Millionaire says
Spot on Joanna.
Aims & Objectives need to be achievable, but your vision and dreams should be whatever you want them to be. Why would you dream small? Why would you aspire something that you can become overnight.
No, dream big, and at least if you fall slightly short you will still be something close to the person you wish to be
The world is a very rational place, but there is always time to aspire and dream about something slightly out of reach. And guess what…dreams sometimes come true π
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Joanna Penn says
Exactly, someone has to be on the red carpet right π
Najela says
I would have to a movie and/or cartoon series based on my works. I’m one step closer from just my goal of finishing a project through to the end, but that’s better than nothing.
Joanna Penn says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Christopher Wills says
I agree dreams need to be big; the bigger the better. What is the point of setting a low easily achievable target? As writers we are creative people and so we can apply that creativity to developing ways to achieve these difficult targets. We have to accept we might not achieve them but we must try and we must not be despondant if we are unsuccessful. Life throws up regular hand grenades to steer us away from our goals but dealing with these is half the fun of being alive. Imagine how boring life would be if everything planned was achieved? Often it is the journey that is the fun bit when we look back, and the realisation of the dream can be disappointing.
My current dreams are; three books published this year (they are already written but need editing and covers which I do myself); two or three books next year (not yet written); change jobs to become a full time writer at the end of 2013 on a comparable income to my current full time job.
Are these achievable? Yes. How likely? Unlikely. But I am going to have a lot of fun trying and if I am a year late or even 5 years late, so what?
I don’t want to end my days on a seaside town bench (apologies to Marlon Brando) saying to anyone who will care to listen;
“I could ‘a’ been a contender…”
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Christopher – it sounds like your creative output is more like a goal – within your control and perhaps even the move into full time writer. I have made the move but with a significant drop in income – with the goal of improving that over time. I agree with the sentiment though – you’ve got to be trying in order to even be in the running!
and most of the writers on the Forbes list are in their 50s – so I’ve got 20 years π
Adam Byatt says
My dream is a little less easily defined as it is down to the critique by a judging panel. But it’s to win the Miles Franklin award in Australia. Nothing much.
Adam B @revhappiness
Joanna Penn says
That’s fantastic Adam – and I think it is a dream if it is in other people’s hands – if we can control the outcome, it is a goal we can achieve. So keep writing and the Miles Franklin is a possible – after all, someone wins every year! All the best.
Linda says
Love this blog post, thank you for putting it up! It’s strange that we don’t allow us to make up these imageries for ourselves… I mean, it’s not that we think ourselves better than anyone else – it’s just a personal goal and a vision to help us focus, isn’t it? Compare it to professional athletes: I don’t think their goal stops at coming in on fifth place in the local running contest – they want that gold in the Olympic Games. Having a positive vision of your future goals gives you strength, so be proud of your dreams and ambitions! π
Joanna Penn says
Great comparison Linda – especially with London gearing up for the Olympics. Of course they don’t train for fifth place. They train for first. That’s what we should all be doing too. I’m fired up now!
Nicua says
Hi! This is so exciting to read – thanks for having the courage to start us off.
I have TONS of dreams, ha ha, but here are a few
have my books made into award winning movies with my own choice of cast.
have a role in one of those movies (with one of my fave actors!)
become a well known author
people love my books
Through my books, make a big difference in the lives of some people
help animal conservation in a BIG way.
have people ask me to review their books as a famous author
etc.etc.etc. ha ha
Joanna Penn says
great list Nicua – I think ‘people love my books’ is definitely a goal, not a dream – in terms of the fact you can control it by publishing quality books in a niche that people love, and you can give some of the profits to animal conservation – so that’s a couple ticked off!
I think I’d like a walk on part in a movie too – many authors seem to do that – I like that Clive Cussler always cameos in his own books as a wise man π
Nicua says
Great!! That is so random that he chooses a wise man ever time! I would love maybe a secondary role, so I get to act π its a dream, right? Thanks!
Kim Cano says
Nicua,
I just read your post about helping animals. Me too! π
Nice meeting you here,
Kim
Joanna Leigh says
I’m loving that idea! Speaking of which, though, does anyone here CAST their stories as they’re writing? Sometimes, I find it easier to ‘hear’ the character if I can imagine the actor who could be playing him or her. Most of the time, I do it right from the start, and sometimes, as the character develops, I think, “…… could play this guy!” I’m in that second part now. I haven’t found the actress for my lead character yet. But it’s early days as far as the story, so I have time.
Glad I’m not the only daydreamer π
Nicua says
oh, and be so well paid that I can buy my farm at last! π
Richard Erickson says
Goals
– Maintain my daily writing routine.
– Complete two novels novels by this time (14 May 2:05am) next year.
– Be a better husband (there’s always room for improvement right).
Dreams
– Be a highly paid and successful fiction author while blue water sailing and exploring the planet.
– Be a paid consultant in maters of security, possibility, and personal strategy.
– Turn down a red carpet event .. “sorry on the other side of the world that week … is a jet available?”
Joanna Penn says
marvellous! I sailed from Fiji to Vanuatu on a tallship once – my only bluewater sailing experience. I was sick for 24 hours and then enjoyed the rest of it – awesome dream!
Matthew Chan says
It takes great courage to put and share your dreams out there for people to see. I like it very much. I will have to do this also.
Joanna Penn says
I almost deleted the post Matthew, as I was worried people would think I was egotistical – but I do think these blogs are about us taking some risks – and all your lovely comments make me feel it was worthwhile π
Aleshia Robinson says
I am in total agreement with your dreams Joanne. You will accomplish exactly what your heart desire. As for my dream, well, actually we share some of the same vanity.
1. I want to be a best-selling Christian fiction author. I don’t have to be #1 but I would like to be in the top 8. (8 is my favorite number seeing as my birthday is 8/8/80.)
2. I want every book to awaken the readers soul to the true heart of God. I don’t want to just write fiction, but entertaining enlightenement.
3. I eventually want to tackle devotionals
4. I want to adapt my novels into screen and teleplays then produce them with my own production company.
5. I would like to get my book translated into foreign languages and sold in the respective countries.
6. I want my books on the shelves in mass market retail stores.
But as you say we must first set goals. My goal is to complete book 3 in the Love, God & Tattoos series by August 2012 and to start marketing. I took your interviewee’s advice (I forgot her name). She said not to really pump energy into promotion until after book 3 is done. So I have just been blogging and occassionally mentioning my books on facebook. But I am excited to see where this will go once I put 100% of my energy into marketing.
That leads me to goal #7: Be interviewed by the Creative Penn on my success after this is all said and done!
Joanna Penn says
It’s great to acknowledge our collective vanity. After all, part of the reason to publish is to be read. I’d also like to write a screenplay, it’s on the list of goals (longer term)
The book 3 interview was Robin Sullivan and I have also taken her advice and not massively marketed Book 2: Prophecy.
Goal 7 is definitely do-able π I do take guest posts as well – so you’re welcome to submit one – here are the guidelines:
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/guestposting/
Christopher Wills says
Aleshia you should go to China. 8 is their lucky number and is highly valued. Car number plates with 8 on them or telephone numbers with 8s in are highly sought after and can sell for lots of money. The Beijing Olympics started at 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 on 8/8/08 because of this.
Aleshia Robinson says
LOLOL. Thanks Chris. I’ll put that on my TO GO list right after Rio.
Joanna Leigh says
Hi Aleshia;
How many times I browsed over these posts and it never dawned on me to reply back and say HI and I wanna do the same thing! I’m working on a novel that will revolve around MAJOR family and social/moral issues. Once upon a time, I thought Christian fiction had to be all nice and everything working out all perfectly. Then I read the Left Behind series. Nothing sweet and perfect about that!
Who are your favorite writers/ novels? I must’ve read “And the Shofar Blew” ten times. A really timely work by Francine Rivers.
melissa herrera says
Thank you so much for this Monday inspiration! As I leave for my 9-5 job, my longing is to stay here and write until my heart bursts – it will happen sooner than I think. Thanks for your great blog.
Joanna Penn says
Let’s put a timeline on that, shall we Melissa? (It took me 3 years of writing and marketing & business building in order to leave the day job! so it is do-able).
melissa herrera says
I love timelines! I’ve been writing for this publication for about three years, so my work is semi-out there. I have a weekly newspaper column for them and a weekly blog online. My issue is the marketing aspect of it. I tweet everything, FB everything, and so forth. Is there a better way to get my stuff out there?
Joanna Penn says
I have found that blogging & twitter have been the best way of marketing. But I also spent quite a bit of money learning the best way to blog, in terms of search engine optimization etc. So I have invested in education in order to be effective. I also use multimedia. But in terms of selling books, it’s more about writing more books π It’s such a long term game.
Misty Spears says
This is exactly the sort of thing I love reading on a Monday morning sitting at my normal 8-5 boring old job. Very inspirational and I thank you for sharing! My dream at the moment is to simply develop the courage to actually allow someone to read my writing. Once I accomplish that, then yes I suppose a red carpet walk would be nice. But I’m taking baby steps.
Joanna Penn says
Hi Misty – I’ll challenge you on this too – goals are within your control, dreams have an element of luck about them. You can set a goal to have someone read your writing. Join a local or online critique group and you’ll have someone in no time. The courage is all it takes, and we’ve all been there. Just don’t give it to your family or someone you love first – they are the harshest critics π
Janet Wellington says
Misty: I just had to jump in to share that when I lived in San Diego and was a member of their chapter of RWA, I waited three years before I actually shared my writing. When I made my decision to share at the next meeting (we were to have round-table read-and-critiques), wouldn’t you know it that it was “love scenes” to be read out loud that day! It was frightening, sure, but helpful and rewarding. And Joanna’s right…resist choosing family as your first readers–they do tend to be too critical or too kind. Instead, find and join a writing group that either meets in person or online. I do have to add, though, that it needs to be the right fit. I can’t say how to ensure that, but the experience needs to be helpful, not hurtful. Another idea is to find a trustworthy independent editor (I’m one now!). You might find it more comfortable communicating with an educated “stranger.” Ask your writer friends for a referral. Usually writers will know someone…networking is key to pushing through fear, I’ve found. Best of luck!
Laura says
Alright! It feels good to be totally open, doesn’t it? Maybe a little scary, too!
My dreams are similar to yours- minus the red dress LOL
I want to be a standard in contemporary fantasy fiction -aka brand name author.
I want to speak at a national conference…possibly to a standing ovation.
I want to be an inspiration to a young girl.
Joanna Penn says
Fantastic Laura, and I think that by being out there with your books you will achieve the third one. My 9 year old niece self-published her first book last year and I was so thrilled to be an inspiration to her. It’s definitely do-able so make that one a goal, not a dream π
Martha Bechtel says
I want to have worlds and characters good enough to inspire fan fiction.
For me that’s the best measure of success (monetary goals aside). I want people to say ‘and then what?’ or ‘but what if?’, because the best kinds of stories keep going after the pages run out.
I know I probably wouldn’t be allowed to read any of it for legal reasons, but it would be enough to know it was out there spawning random plot bunnies. π
Joanna Penn says
That’s a good one Martha – although I think the fan fic thing must be relaxing due to 50 Shades of Grey hype π
Suddenly Jamie says
I want to be the next J.K. Rowling.
Only me.
And better.
π
Joanna Penn says
She was who I had in mind in terms of red carpet and income π
Joanna Leigh says
I’m not sure if it’s true, but I heard that JK Rowling was unemployed or working part time or something when she started the Harry Potter series! I’d like to know what was in the coffee she was drinking and the name of the coffee shop she was drinking her coffee at. There must be a line up of would be WRITERS dying to sit in that chair! π
Suddenly Jamie says
If I lived overseas, I’D be trying to get a seat at that cafe! π
Suddenly Jamie says
π
Brittany says
Like others who have commented on here, my real dream is to be able to quit my day job and just write during the day. I can’t yet, but I guess it’s a dream I’m working toward.
The only other dream I have is that one of my books makes some young person out there smile or laugh or picks them up after they’ve had a bad day, like so many books did for me while I was growing up (and still do today). I know it sounds cliche and sappy, but if I can be one of those authors for someone someday, I will be content.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Brittany. I write for the miserable office worker who commutes every day, desperate to get out of their life for a time. It’s paying back the pleasures of reading great books!
Lizzie says
Oh man … dreaming big isn’t my problem. Sometimes I swear if I could dream little dreams, I would feel a bit more accomplished and satisfied. But instead, if I ever achieve the big dream … I wouldn’t even know where to go from there, yeah? Great read, thanks.
Katie says
I LOVE this post. It’s so true! There’s this cookie-cutter vision of how one’s life should be that everyone tries to fit themselves into – and when it doesn’t work out, everyone wonders why they’re sad and unfulfilled. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS PEOPLE! If you are willing to put the work in, you will be rewarded. And I say this as someone who is just beginning on the path to their dream, but I know, with certainty, that even if I don’t become a millionaire or gain world fame, that I’ll be insanely happy making a living (even if it’s just a modest one) by doing what I WANT to do, rather than doing what everyone else thinks I should be doing.
Joanna Penn says
Absolutely right Katie. Every day I am working as an author-entrepreneur is one more day I am not working as an IT consultant for big corporates π I spent 13 years dreaming about this, so I guess I should celebrate my successes along the way too (I’m not very good at that!)
It was a big dream and now it’s true – so why not choose the next big dream?!
Jen Chatfield says
I, like you, think it’s imperative to put our goals down on paper. I haven’t been published yet, but it’s only a matter of time, I know that in my heart. I will publish. I will make money as a writer (though that’s only a secondary goal – it will come with dedication, heart, and love of the craft). I will write things that are important to me and live up to my standards, no matter how they’re accepted. And most of all, I won’t quit until I’m out of ideas – which has yet to happen in thirty five years.
Believing is half the battle!
Joanna Penn says
Absolutely Jen – the more you use those creative muscles, the more they work π
Joanna Leigh says
There’s a line from a movie that I love and use faithfully; “A writer writes, always.” From Throw Momma from the Train. And it’s true, too. I almost always have a notebook with me. Or I find a napkin or piece of note paper from somewhere if I come upon a great idea that hits me when I’m nowhere near a notebook.