Focus on one point

Focus

There are many ways to use this word but they all come down to one need. Consistently moving towards a set point.

In your writing business you need to focus on your ultimate goal. By doing that you can separate what is necessary and what are distractions. One of my first goals this year was to double my subscriptions in the first 90 days of 2008 and release my first product before the end of January. Along with that I had the NF collaboration, my fiction writing, and my coaching. Those are just the writing related tasks. I focused on this blog daily. I wanted to consistently provide useful content. And by January 18th I was only 2 people away from doubling my subscriptions. My Writing Career Coach product is still on target to be released in January. The delay has been a result of all the content that is going in to it. There are four sections with 4-8 topics in each section. I'm only through about 1/2 of the topics and I have 19 single spaced pages of information.

So how do you maintain focus. With all you have to do. You need to have a business plan. Where do you want to be in 90 days [the writing industry can be slow so it's best to put goals you can control (like # of queries) at the beginning of that 90 days and a realistic result to be accomplished by the end of those 90 days]. Have you put it somewhere you can see it?

In one of Robert Kiyosaki's books in his Rich Dad, Poor Dad series he says Focus stands for:

F-Focus
O-on
C-Course
U-Until
S-Successful

Everything you do should be through this prism. But first you need to know what that course is. You also need to have a quantitative measure of success. That is why I have goals I can control [Edit two MS, rewrite 1 MS, and write 1 new MS]. I can do that by setting out specific goals. So what are your writing goals. While having a goal to read one book on writing is fine, you need to also do some writing.

You will likely have two or three courses running simultaneously. You'll have your parenting course. You'll have your professional course and you'll have your business course. On each one you'll have one target to focus on to become successful. What is that for you? What is your mark of success?

Check this link out. Here is someone who is taking action to move forward by first changing how they look at things and working in the new reality rather than simply complaining that it is unfair:
http://diaryofanovel.blogspot.com/2008/01/one-part-writing-three-parts.html

And now, I am in the process of redoing my WritingCareerCoach.com website. I'd like to add comments from people who have learned from my blog or my course. So please, if you'd like to be quoted [I will link back to your blog or website as well] email me at Tiffany@WritingCareerCoach.com and put Endorsement in the subject line. Write a few sentences [I'll have to edit for brevity] and put a note at the bottom that says I have permission to use your comment on my blog or websites.

Later this week we have a book review and an author interview. I hope you'll enjoy that but for today we'll pick up on HIGH.

HIGH 16

My initial thought when I heard "tumor" was a fatty mass or something in his leg. I wasn't worried at all. However, by the end of the day the reality was sinking in. We had two doctor friends and they, along with an internet search, told us we were looking at cancer.

On November 17, 2005 [our oldest daughter's 7th birthday] we were told that it was likely an extremely rare and very aggressive cancer. Osteosarcoma. Thankfully the doctor who wrote the protocols for treatment of this cancer was 30 minutes away. It would mean removal of his femur, and possibly his entire leg. It had grown quickly from imperceivable on X-rays in mid-July, to over 4 inches in length and filling the bone marrow by early November.

After a whirlwind of doctors and specialists the biopsy was done Dec 5th. It took ten days for the biopsy to come back. Lymphoma. What a relief. While it was still cancer Chris would keep his leg and he could see the local oncologist. Chris' Chemo began January 4, 2006 [yes, it took 2 months to begin treatment]. Chris would have 6 rounds then radiation.

It was rough seeing him go through that first round. Thankfully friends and family stepped up and took our kids for the 4 days following each treatment. Our kids were 7, 6, 5, and 2 when he started treatment. Chris was 29.

It was after the second round of chemo that the writing portion of this story picks up again. Chris was sleeping. The kids were gone. I couldn't turn on the TV or Radio. Everything was silent.

"Don't go to the holler."

I heard the thick southern drawl in my head as clearly as I would if the person was next to me. I suddenly could see this beautiful wooded land like on the OH/KY/WV border. I typed as quickly as my fingers could fly. By the end of the weekend I had over 40 pages done. I emailed it to a publishing line that I knew was looking for electronic submissions.

12 days later I got an email.

Your story looks good. Can you send us the full MS?