I’m still in January goal-setting mode, and my consultations with authors have been ramping up with the new year. One thing that’s been on my mind throughout these conversations: getting in tune with what really motivates us as writers. And that led me to athletes and artists.
Athletes tend to have an external goal: winning. Their performance is measured as objectively as possible, and there’s public validation for the best. There are often winners and losers.
For writers, the equivalent pursuit might be seeking traditional publication or a certain threshold of sales when self-publishing. That’s the ultimate goal. These authors want to take on a very difficult task and succeed in it.
Artists are often in the pursuit of personal expression and taking their creativity wherever it leads. Sometimes this eventually results in attention, but many more artists are content to just create works they’re proud of.
For writers, this might mean just writing for the personal satisfaction, and it may not matter as much how or whether your book is published.
Which one are you?
There are no right or wrong answers here, and I’ve been both styles at various points in my writing life. But it’s helpful to know what you’re really after, because it will help you with the choices you’ll need to make over the course of your journey.
If you’re dead-set on traditional publication, that might mean being more cognizant of things like average word counts in your genre, how publishers tend to approach series, the zeal with which you consider marketing your book and building a platform, and who you choose to network with.
There are no ironclad formulas for seeking traditional publication, but there are definitely things you can do that will incrementally increase or decrease your odds.
If you are just in this for the art, you might be more inclined to just pursue your vision and then let the chips fall where they may. You might take your book in a more idiosyncratic direction, you might decide you don’t care too much about marketing, and waver between just dropping it on Amazon or putting it in the drawer.
Get in tune with those goals. It will help you chart a path that’s meaningful to you, and you’ll be less likely to let others blow you off course.
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Art: Jean-Alphonse Roehn – The painter and his model
This is such a great way to think and talk about the deeper why behind a writing project! I think writers can be both artists and athletes if they find an overlap between their artistic vision and the needs of the marketplace. Or writers can shift between the two modes–being an artist while writing a poem, for example, and an athlete while writing a novel. But this awareness is so key to setting the right goals and milestones.
I’m the kind of person who plays games to have fun. Winning is irrelevant. I’ve played games and won and didn’t particularly have fun, but what was the point? I have also played games and lost and had lots of fun. Those games were more memorable.
Having deadlines isn’t fun. It takes some of the joy away. When I was a teenager, there wasn’t a goal. I wrote because I felt like it. It was a creative and freeing process. Just putting words on paper was fun. With deadlines in the mix, it’s completely different. I have one hanging over my head now and I don’t even want to pick up my pen.
I wish deadlines didn’t bother me so much, because I do get joy from the end result of the work I put in. I love seeing the characters I have created being brought to life on stage, and it’s fun to listen to the audience reactions during the performance. And that doesn’t happen if I don’t pick up my pen.
I think almost all writers are a little bit of both, but most are probably more of one than the other. The way you have them described here, I guess I am mostly an athlete, but definitely a little bit of an artist. I mean, you can’t write a whole novel without being at least a little bit of an artist.