Invest in Your Writing Dreams

By Donna K. Rice

My other career is as an estate planning attorney. In that capacity, I’ve spent many hours visiting with clients about what will happen when they pass away. To me, the personal matters, family values, and legacy development are most important, but money is what most people think about when considering estate planning.

With that in mind, let’s talk about money. How a family handles it says a lot about their personal value system. Interesting patterns and principles of behavior accompany the accumulation of wealth by those who aren’t born into an affluent family. Many people who do not earn large salaries, teachers for example, end up being millionaires simply because they are persistent, consistent, and committed to saving money and living below their means. In our office, we see a lot of common folks who are secretly very wealthy.

What does this have to do with writing? The same investment principles of our secret millionaire clients are the ones we, as writers, can apply to be successful in attaining our writing dreams and goals. Each of us has the opportunity to invest in our career with long-term goals in mind, just as the teacher does when setting aside a percentage of their salary each month. Let’s look at what steady savers do and learn from their example. A savvy investor will:

• Be persistent. Persistence is the obstinate pursuit of a course of action, even in the face of difficulty. Saving money requires diligence and sacrifice, especially in the early days. It’s not easy to get published, but if writing is what God has called us to do, we must be persistent in growing in our craft, networking with other professionals, and adapting to a changing industry.

• Be Consistent. The dictionary uses the word unchanging in its definition of consistency. Are we steadfast or fickle in our pursuit of becoming a professional writer? The avid investor of dollars doesn’t get distracted by the shiny new car or bigger house. The writer who moves beyond hobbyist determines to set aside the distractions calling his or her name each day and write consistently.

• Be committed. Dedication is at the core of commitment. Writing well requires time, focus, and the willingness to learn. True investors look for the long-term return. They consider changes in the market and types of investments available to them. Successful writers often spend years learning the ropes of the publishing world. They stay committed throughout disappointment, rejection, and revision.

Clients have taught me many things over the years. Today, while pondering this blog post, I’m reminded of an important life lesson we can apply to our writing dreams. The value of investing with care and thought into one’s future does bring rewards. This truth speaks to investing in a writing career as surely as it does to planning for retirement and old age. Our writing investment portfolios will consist of things like conferences, hours in front of our computers, time spent with mentors, and a network of word geek friends instead of dollars.

Oh yes, there is one exciting difference between our financial investment portfolios and our writing investments. We can take them with us! The words we write and the hearts moved by them will follow us into heaven. One day, the Lord will show us the true return on our writing investment when He says, “Well done, my good and faithful scribe.”

Donna writes women’s fiction and is represented by Sue Brower of the Natasha Kern Literary Agency. She’s a licensed minister, conference speaker, and estate planning attorney. She also works with GenderSave, a nonprofit seeking to empower women and girls at risk from gendercide practices in India. Contact Donna at donnakrice.com.