The Author's Walk

The muse sprinkles muse dust.

Choice—success or mediocrity?

Strategy is developed.

Your sweet spot identified.

I like the thought of a muse in my midst. Something that drops in for a chat. Okay, it’s a chat in my head. A goose. An inspirational nudge. The muse inspires you, ignites your imagination, and thrills you with a paragraph that sings off the page in perfect poetry. Maybe a tad of giddiness surfaces. You love spending time with her—I always think of mine as her—she has few boundaries and is always grateful for anything that flows from my hands onto the pages and whatever I’m working on.

For me, she surfaced early when I realized I was more productive in good weather. Some warmth from the sun. And water. A sea breeze or a shimmering lakefront. I am drawn to the movement of the ocean on our annual cruises. Sometimes I have to settle for a poolside or having an outdoor gurgling fountain close by—a soothing sound for me. Even an early morning hot tub soak with a mug of hot tea sets the stage.

My water muse helps me to set goals on myself to “get it done”—whatever the done is to be:

The muse knows ideas will float out there in your imagination, or in piles of journals, notes, and files. It will inspire you to continue to write—but to what end?

Musing through your writing space might sound like a brilliant idea. But there’s a string attached. What the muse brings to you in your creation or words, ideas, and stories, it often doesn’t lay out the organization side of getting your book published. You need a strategy. You have the passion to write. Now you need it expanded to a passion that sells books and develops the strategy that enables you to connect with your readership and your audience.

Developing a strategy is soul-easing. Creating it points the way to order. Books need order and organization. So does what you are writing. Organization is the antithesis of “the overwhelm.”

Mediocre authors who hate to market and sell books don’t.

When you identify the strategy that works for you, it’s equivalent to having the right shoes—the ebb-and-flow of what you are doing. You become energized—a good thing when you are writing.

What does all this mean to you—the new author? When approaching publishing, you will encounter what seems to be an endless list of things to do. New ideas are probably bred as you sleep. Author fatigue can set in. Soon, the overwhelmed feeling pounces and you are buried under emails, sticky notes, mobile cell phone calls, voicemails, social media posts—you name it. You are being stretched.

You come up for air, scratching your head and wonder where your writing is going. And, if you have a book completed—what happened to it. Personal life, forget it. Balance and rhythm are long gone. All you feel is out of step with life, work, and your book.

Your life preserver is threefold: strategy, planning, and priorities. Before you groan, understand that successful authors strategize, plan, and prioritize. Mediocre authors who hate to market and sell books—don’t. What’s your choice—success or mediocrity?

Of course, you desire to be successful. Right?