Writing Tip: Writing your Intentions can Change your Life




(c) 2007. Angela Booth. All Rights Reserved.



Whether you want to become a professional writer, need to write for your business, or want to write as a hobby, here's a writing tip which works - write your intentions before you start writing.

For many people, writing is harder than it should be. One of the reasons they find writing difficult is that they're unclear in their own mind what they want to accomplish when they sit down to write.

Today, write an intention for each writing session before you start writing.

State your intention by writing: "With this project, I want to [create a character/ find a conflict/ research a setting/ write an ad etc]." You can make your intentions as detailed as you please. I usually write anywhere from one to five sentences. However, if I'm thinking things through, I might write two pages.

You can even write your intentions at night, before you switch off the computer, when you're looking through your schedule for tomorrow - just write your intentions into your schedule. That way you won't forget them.

Crafting your intentions for success



You're the master of your fate. You choices will determine your life. Look on your intentions as the choices you make.

"I want to write" is an intention, and a good one, but don't stop there.

Write down exactly what you want to write. When you have time, include the benefits that writing a particular project will bring you.

Make it a habit to always write your intentions for each piece of writing, and for your day as a whole too.

For example, before starting work on an article query, you could write: "I want to write an article query for X Magazine. The benefit of publishing in X is that it makes a wonderful clip. It will look great on my list of credits, and will help me to get the interest of an agent."

Keep a log of your intentions and chart your journey



I love sea-faring novels. Horatio Hornblower is my hero. I've read the Hornblower series many times. I also read and reread the novels of Patrick O'Brian and Julian Stockwin.

When you read these nautical adventures, you realize the importance of ships' logs. The captain keeps a log, and all the other officers do too. There's a ship's log as well. I commend the practice to you: keep a log of your intentions for your writing journey.

Writing your intentions before you write can change your life. Try it, and see.

Want more great writing tips? Writing teacher and author Angela Booth sends you great free writing tips and writing prompts twice a week. Discover how you can improve your writing skills and processes, simply and easily, with Your EveryDay Write.

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