Charting Your Course
by
Cynthia Ros McClendon

    What do you want to do with your writing?  If your answer is "I don't know," why the heck don't you?
    You obviously want to write or you wouldn't be reading this.  So now is the time to figure it out. 
    WARNING: Doing this exercise leads to success.  If success is not your goal, bail now!
   If you're feeling smug because you already have a goal list, check your course. Are you still content to put in at the nearest port, or have you grown and changed to the point where an ocean voyage is more your speed? Are your goals still on target or have you grown and changed to the point where you need to adjust them upward?
   Now pick up a pen, pencil, crayon, lipstick, or whatever you have handy (a stick in the sand doesn't count-you need something permanent) and finish this sentence: "I want to write because…"
   Finish this sentence by yourself. Do not ask your best friend, your mother, your writing teacher, your significant other, or Dear Abby what they think you should do. The only opinion that counts is your own. If it makes you feel better, ask your reflection in the mirror. Do not share this information with anyone else.
   Your answer may be as simple as "I think I might be good at it." It may be far more complex. It doesn't matter. The only grade you get is an A if you do it and an F if you don't.
   Now write this down: "In my deepest heart of hearts, this is what I want to do with my writing…"
   Finish that sentence.
   Do not ask what you think you "can" do or what it would be "realistic" to do. Ask instead "What do I want to do with my writing? Who do I want to reach? What do I want to say to them? What effect do I want my words to have?"
   Keep this list. Refer to it often. This is your compass. Without it you will be swept away by life's raging current. You will find yourself hung in the weeds or pounded hard against the rocks in places you never intended to go, asking yourself "How the heck did I get here and how do I get out?"
   WARNING: Charting your course leads directly to fulfillment of your dreams.
    No longer content to float idly in your inner tube whining about the view, you will instead firmly take the helm of your life and turn it steadfastly in the direction you want it to go.
    You will ask the following question about every aspect of your life:   "Is what I am doing now taking me toward my goals or away from them?"
    As much as we might fantasize about it, we don't live alone in a cave with our laptops.  Writing is a part of our lives, but not the only part.  Many of us have jobs, families, loved ones, hobbies.  Now is the time to balance what's important to us and jettison the rest.
    Ask yourself "Where am I now?"
    Ask yourself "Where do I want to be?"
    Note the difference between the two.  Pick up your compass and adjust your course to reflect your new heading.
    Adjust as necessary until your ship docks in your chosen port.
    Bon voyage!

Copyright 2000, by Cynthia Ros McClendon

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