“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

What does it really mean for us author folk to be chasing our dreams, or living with them? Do you know what that looks like for you, as a writer?

I know that, before I published my first book, I had read numerous articles, books, how-to guides, etc. in order to try to be as prepared as possible. No matter what approaches each of these resources advocated, they all had one statement in common:

You will not become a bestseller overnight.

Check. Push that expectation way, way, wayyyyyyyy down and just do the work. Got it.

What other tidbits have turned out to be absolute gold?

– Don’t spam links to your books, anywhere!
– Meet new people, and talk to them.
– Engage, engage, and engage some more. As WHO YOU ARE, not who you think people expect you to be.

What would I recommend? For you regular readers, I know you can say it with me now:

CREATE A SCHEDULE!

As I’m sure you can tell, my schedule has been out the window. Sometimes, that can happen. When one of the kiddos gets sick (the teenager, and she’s a very unhappy patient, generally speaking), and then I catch that bug the schedule becomes all about sleep, juicing, and sleeping some more. If you’re in a place where you are having difficulty formulating a coherent thought (hello, Nyquil!), feel free to take a break.

Other than that – live by the schedule!

What do you need to accomplish EVERY SINGLE DAY in order to do your job (which is being an author)?

You need to write.
You need to market.
You need to read.

Those are the major three. How you do these three is going to be different for every individual writer.

How do you write your books? Do you develop a rough outline, or length? Do you give yourself a deadline, daily word count, or daily time? These will all factor into your schedule.

Remember, your plan is your map to get you where you want to go.

Happy writing, and blessings to you all!