So here’s Petey. Petey knows where he’s going. Do you? Do you know, for example, how you’ll get there? Or why? Petey is purposeful, determined. Petey is in charge of his humans.

Writing is kind of like that. It requires that Petey kind of mentality. The what, when and how of writing. Writing is a lonnnggg game. It requires a lot of hard work, studying, reading and researching, but most of all fortitude. I wish I had even a nickel for everyone who’s told me they want to write a book. A nickel! I’d be rich. The best advice, especially for someone like me who is still working on getting to the end zone, is–start small. What’s wrong with a small vignette, a small story that has a beginning, middle and an end? Finish a page, a chapter, more chapters and then revise in order to submit.

Recently, a friend of mine who is a real outdoorsman, told me he wants to write a book. He has dog stories, lots and lots of them. “Write one!” I said. Just one. He told me the whole story over lunch. I loved it! I was amused and entertained. He had great details, changes in settings, problems, etc. He did what needed to be done. He rehearsed his story in mid-air. Now, what he needs, what I absolutely need too is a boss. Like Petey. Someone to steer me toward my desk. To help me with the discipline of writing. Because real writers WRITE! They don’t just talk about it. Yes, it is good to practice and hone in on our stories. But I did that. I got up every morning and wrote and wrote. I finished a number of unpublished manuscripts that way. But I didn’t keep my eye on the finish line.

It was kind of like what I did over and over with this thing: My pilates chair. I looked at it, talked about it, and occasionally got on it and worked out. But, I eventually sold it. Why? Because I did not have that accountability built into my end game. I didn’t have the discipline and the fortitude to follow up and finish, to get to the end of the game. I didn’t have a clear goal.  And my friend? His fear is the beginning, actually putting it all down on the page. Seeing the whole process and  working toward that next horizon. One small step.

And in the end, I must be like Petey…know where I am in the process, know and be able to say out loud what my goal is and then be that writing boss for myself. So dear writer start small, write it down, decide what your goal for each piece that you start will be. Short story, blog post, journal entry or a fully fleshed out book!

I now have an end zone. A date on the calendar and a game plan to get it done. If you’re a novice, write short each and every day and generally at the same time of day. It’s the practice, not the perfect that we strive for. And when you’re halfway through, if you look back at what you’ve done, you will have a miracle right there in front of your eyes!