Turning Pro in 2012

As the year winds down, every blogger, media outlet, television show, and radio program looks back at the past year and reminisces about the best and worst of 2011. If they are not doing that, they are hammering you with Resolutions. I’m here to wish you a Happy New Year and avoid doing those things.

With the sun setting on 2011, many of you have achieved the success that you’ve been wishing and working toward, and for others, you may not be where you want to be, yet. 

What makes the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t? Is it talent? Effort? Knowledge? Marketing? While these things play a role, I’ll offer my two cents on what makes the difference. 

Your mind and thoughts … 

It’s that simple. Get out of your own way and put success in your head.

This blog post is not for everyone, because many of you believe that you are there. I wasn’t. Exactly one year ago, I had never published a book, created a cover, formatted the interior, or even wrote, THE END. Sure I had been working on my debut novel and I knew that someday I would finish. But, someday never came. 

Then, I read a blog post from Larry Brooks at www.storyfix.com. If you haven’t stumbled across Larry yet, he is one of the best out there. In his post, he sidetracked from his usual story engineering and six core principles for writing success and hit me with something that burned into my core.

I formed a sort of mantra with it and posted it on my computer. I read it every morning. I read it every time I found my wheels spinning. I read it after spending ten straight hours with final revisions. I read it after "working" my real job all day with no time to write. I believe it was the most important change that put me on the fast track to success. I’ll share it with you now.   

This year I will officially turn pro as a storyteller.

I will establish a schedule. I will set goals. I will solicit feedback. I will study. I will become a scholar of my genre.

I will render myself fluent in the language of my craft.

I am writing for an audience. For money. For my career. Acceptance of that awareness changes everything.

Larry Brooks, Storyfix.com

It’s that simple. Believe it. Post it. Say it, everyday. Start everyday with this affirmation, then come back next year and share with me your success. It will happen. It has to happen. The universe works that way.

Happy New Year!

How I started the writing process

I’ve been meaning to get back to the original purpose of this blog, which is to give others an idea behind what I do, how I do it, and what path I took to self publish. It all begins with putting the pen on paper or fingers on keyboard. If that never happens, then nothing will come of the desire to write a book (or books.)

While I’m no expert, maybe by chronicling my process, someone else out there just starting out will get either some inspiration or figure out that if I can do it (Jim Devitt) then anyone can!

My two greatest influences in my beginnings of writing have been Stephen King’s On Writing and Larry Brooks Story Engineering and his blog storyfix.com. Stephen King does a great job of showing how he not only approaches the art of writing, but also the path that he took to get where he is today. Several times throughout the book, I looked up and said, “I can do this!” The feelings and frustrations that he underwent were the same things I was feeling through the process. So, thank you Stephen King for helping me realize that I could do this, too.

Larry Brooks is a different animal all together. His witty and engaging blog gets to the heart of Story Structure. He lays out a definite and specific plan that you must follow to bring together the right ingredients for a “sellable” novel. I encourage everyone to visit his blog and you will quickly become a fan of his style and candor. He pulls no punches. Thick skin is required. 

The bottom line is, regardless of who your influences are, you must have a plan. You need a goal. To decide you are going to write a novel is not enough. I look forward to our next installment, where I will discuss a little about goal setting and how that comes into play with something as diverse, and from the heart, as writing. It is art, but you need a blueprint to come out on top and to finish when you want to finish, rather than when you get around to it.