Seven Things Every  Writer Must Do: Part One

You plot and develop  the characters that readers will fall in love with. Sit at the computer and  type. All of those things are necessary but there are also seven things every  writer simply has to do in order to be successful. Over the next seven weeks, I’ll  be blogging about those every Saturday.

Part One: Dream Without Limits

If you spend much time around me, you’ll eventually hear me  ask, “What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?” It’s a valid  question because I believe most writers put a lid on their potential. They  could do so much more but they don’t because their dreams are way too small.

For a writer who wants to succeed in their career, the real  tragedy is not that they dream too big and it doesn’t come true, but rather  that they dream too small and it does come true. There will be plenty of time  in the planning phase to corral those wild dreams and break them down into a  series of smaller plans. But the dreaming phase should be absolutely without  any limitations whatsoever.

Here are a few things you should consider when dreaming  about your writing career:

Silence the voices:
Do you hear that whisper inside you that tells you all the reasons why it would  be impractical, inappropriate or foolish to dream that? Don’t listen. You may  argue that it’s the voice of reason. Perhaps it is but now is not the time to  listen to it. She will have her say later on.

Have the Faith of a  Child:

Remember when you were a kid and someone asked you what you wanted  to be when you grew up? That’s the way you should dream. From astronauts to  dancers to the pony express. Doesn’t matter. Dream it!

Don’t let others dream for you:

If you let others dream for you, you’ll wind up living their  dream and not your own. Sure, there will be a time during the other stages to  solicit valuable feedback from trusted friends and colleagues. Again, now is  NOT that time.

Dream without limits.

So what would YOU attempt if you knew you could not fail?
You can email your response to me if you’d like at reba@mybooktherapy.com.

Reba J. Hoffman, Ph.D.

Member Care Coach

Reba J. Hoffman is the MBT Member Care Coach. She has a PhD in clinical  counseling and is the founder and president of New Hope Institute of  Counseling. Reba uses her gift of encouragement to help writers overcome  negative emotions so they can live their dream of being a writer. Her works  appear in publications such as Running  for the Woman’s Soul by Road Runner Sports and The Good Fight by Donna Hicken. She is the author of My Book  Therapy’s Dare to Dream, a Writer’s  Journal. Contact her at reba@mybooktherapy.com