In my previous posting, I mentioned how a Mission Statement
was my impetus for this series on Managing
Your Muse and we will get to that—I promise, but not today. Today, let’s
talk about creating your Vision
Statement.
In every leadership class I’ve attended and every business
book I’ve read which was published after 1990, creating a Vision Statement was
the first priority, and for good reason. A Vision Statement succinctly states
why you’re doing what you’re doing and focuses you on your primary goal.
An author’s vision statement encompasses an entire writing
career, not just the next book. Think big picture and long-term. What do you
want as a writer? What is your dream?
By clarifying what you really want, it makes decision making
easier on almost every front, and believe me, you will have more decisions to
make while writing than you can imagine.
Should I use a pen
name? How will I market my work? What type of writers’ or critique groups should
I join? Which genre will I write? What will my covers look like? Should I
self-publish or get an agent? Who is my target reader? Just to give a few
examples.
Your vision statement will go a long way in helping to
answer most of these. Take a few moments to think about why you want to write. What do you want from a writing career? Do
you even want a career, or is your writing only going to be a hobby?
There is no wrong
vision statement because it’s based on your
very personal goals. This isn’t something you have to share or publish, it’s
simply a tool to help you focus on what you want to accomplish.
So what makes a good vision statement?
Keep it short, make it memorable, and make it inspire you.
Here are a few corporate vision statements examples to give
you an idea of how far-reaching and all-encompassing yours can be.
Habitat for Humanity: A
world where everyone has a place to live.
Smithsonian: Shaping
the future by preserving our heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing
our resources with the world.
Microsoft: A personal
computer in every home and office running Microsoft software.
Avon: To be the
company that best understands and satisfies the product, service, and
self-fulfillment needs of women.
Google: Organize the
world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Anheuser-Busch: Be the
world’s beer company. Through all of our products, services and relationships,
we will add to life’s enjoyment.
Sears: To be the
preferred and most trusted resource for the products and services that enhance
hone and family life.
Apple: We believe that
we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing.
We are constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple not the
complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies
behind the products that we make, and participate only in the markets where we
can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of
projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and
meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our
groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we
don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company,
and we have the self-honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to
change.
Walt Disney: To make
people happy.
As you can see with the Apple example, not all vision
statements are short but, you have to admit, each of these would help to
inspire both employees and customers and, if their leaders adhere to their ideals,
would be useful in making both long and short-term decisions.
So what would a writer’s vision statement look like? Unlike
corporate statements, most artists prefer to keep their goals private. However,
I was able to tap a few of my talented author friends for their vision
statements:
Tia Dani: When you
read a Tia Dani book…prepare to be whisked away into another world of mystical,
magical romance. Places where your will laugh, maybe cry, and when you’ve read
the final page, our characters will still live on in your heart.
Kris Tualla: To make
Norway the new Scottland!
Just to be fair, I’m happy to share my own humble goal with
you.
Anna Questerly: To
become an award-winning, best-selling, international author by writing stories
into which readers can truly escape.
Yes, I wrote this before I typed the first word of The Minstrel’s Tale. And yes, it’s
shamelessly ambitious. But it is my
dream. The real questions are has it helped me become a writer? And if so, how?
The answer is a resounding yes, from the selection of my pen
name (I wanted premium placement on bookshelves, settled snugly between
Christopher Paolini and J.K. Rowling), to working up the nerve to enter a
writing contest (The Minstrel’s Tale
took first place in a novel contest on Authorstand.com—award-winning: check!), to limiting the genres I write to
historical and fantasy (pure escapism),
to my current project of having my books translated (international—working on it), to motivating me to get my
butt-in-chair to write and then rewrite my books, making certain each book was
my highest quality writing (in the belief that to one day be a best-selling author it’s vital to give
my best efforts).
So many more of my decisions were based on my vision
statement, I couldn’t possibly list them all. Each choice is weighed against my
vision statement and whether it will move me closer to my goal. My statement continues
to inspire me, motivate me, and keep me focused on my dream. Granted, I still
have a long way to go, but I’m loving the journey.
Whether your dream is as grandiose or more modest, a vision
statement can help you get closer to it. There is good reason why this is
taught in every business school in America—it works.
What’s your vision?
I write the Christian Romance novels I always wanted to read.
ReplyDeleteWould you include a link to your books, Laurel? I know several folks who read my blog who may be interested in checking them out. Great vision statement!
ReplyDeleteAnna, thanks. I am just reading through these and trying to catch up. I guess mission and vision statements had not risen above the horizon. Thanks for prodding me in that direction. I assume I must begin to consider my writing as a business and not just a hobby since I now have two books on the market. How about any thoughts on building a writer's business plan?
ReplyDeleteAnna, thanks for the blog. Vision and Mission Statements had not risen above the horizon, so I will be giving this considerable thought. I am going to have to think about the business of writing as I don't think I can think of it as a hobby since I have two books on the market. Any suggestions on a writer's Business Plan?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alan. You know, I hadn't included a business plan for writers in my outline. It's an interesting idea.
ReplyDelete