Be Patient

Every author is impatient for good news. We’re all working toward something. You might be working toward your first sale, or maybe it’s your next novel contract. You might be trying to get a movie deal, or perhaps land on the New York Times bestseller list.

That’s the way that it should be. You should have goals and dreams and aspirations. Always. There will always be a new hill to climb. Even if you’re J.K. Rowling and you’ve made a billion dollars as a writer, there are still things you should be striving to accomplish.

But dreaming alone doesn’t do any good. I know a lot of authors who are just dreaming when they should be working toward the goal.

Dreaming alone is a waste. Your dreams should be used to fuel your ambitions. If you just sit and dream, it’s like pouring gasoline on the ground. It’s a total waste. But if you put that same gasoline in your engine, it can take you to the ends of the earth and beyond.

So what is your dream? What is your ambition? What is the mountain you want to climb? Say it out loud. Tell someone, and it will become more real. Name the goal, and figure out how to climb each little rise, get to each new peak. Then create a list of steps that you must take to reach it, and start taking those steps in order.

Begin the journey by taking each successive step. I know too many people who want to be “big name” authors or movie producers “right now.” They don’t want to take the steps needed. You have to start up the trail to any peak.

Just because the steps are hard, don’t let it stop you. Keep your head down and keep working. Be patient. Take the time needed to complete each step, and you will succeed.