You need to know your writing mission if you want to give your writing focus, flavor, and character.
You need to know your writing mission if you want to develop as a writer with a clear idea of why you write and why you should write.
You need to know your writing mission if you want a clearer view of the areas of writing that are most important to you.
I hope your confidence and vision will grow and become clearer through the ideas presented here.
Most writers do not think of their writing mission. They think only or primarily about the writing process. They enjoy their mental picture of the finished work in print.
However, other significant parts, such as writing mission, need attention before, during, and after writing. You need certain elements in place before and while you work, study, and grow as a writer.
· Before writing, think through your writing mission: What do you want the work to accomplish?
· Think about your mission and how it will influence how you will plan to market such writing to an editor or agent.
· During writing, remember your writing mission, goals, and the audience for the intended work; think about how you could market your work to an editor or agent.
· After writing, think about how to market your work to editors or agents.
Develop the habit of thinking "mission" as your work moves across the wide spectrum that a finished work must travel for long-term availability. Your writing's influence upon readers will include marketing awareness, from the very beginning of your planning.
Example: A writer's mission statement for a book about writing
"The mission of this book is to help beginning and advanced writers grow in skills and professional attitudes and practices." (14 words)
Fourteen (14) words are enough to tell the chief mission the writer has set for a book for writers. It has also set the audience profile: beginning and advanced writers. It's to be a book to help any writer.
Writers need general mission statement to describe themselves and their overall focus as writers, including principles that guide the quality and tone of their work.
Writing projects need their own individual mission statement, like the one for the book mentioned above.
Goals
· The writer's first goal for the book described above must fit the mission :
"My first goal is to awaken or reawaken readers' beliefs, mission, and goals, as writers and to build their ability to relate to the publishing industry and community.
· The writer's second goal for the book must also fit the writing mission:
"My second goal is to give readers a unique, pithy, clear, and challenging resource to study and apply, written in an approachable and useful tone and style."
Audience
Here is how the author describes the target audience for the book above:
"This book is for beginning and advanced writers that aim to submit successful works to editors or agents."
Genre(s)
This book's genre(s): writing/self-help
Use the Mission, Goals, Audience, and Genre Statements
Use the mission, goals, audience, and genre statements shown above to guide and spark your personal and project mission, goals, audience, and genre statements. Make sure your mission general mission statement and your project mission statements are no longer than 14 words!
Define and refine your mission, goals, audience, and genre(s)-general as well as specific to each work-and lay a foundation for your writing's potential and effectiveness.
---The mission statement expresses what the writer wants to do.
---The goals statement gives the writer guidance about scope and how to work the project.
---The audience statement describes the target audience as accurately as possible.
---The genre statement lists a main category and one or two sub-categories.
A writer's general mission, goals, and target audience statements need to be compatible, although they function differently. All three are essential. Drafting and finalizing them helps to develop further your habit of thinking with focus.
Caution: I have read hundreds of mission and goals statements by writers. Most such statement miss the mark the first time. Many miss the mark the second and third time. I can tell when mission statements are written in haste.
Remember: Writing 14 useful words is far more difficult than writing 140 words for general description. Take the time to get your statements right. The exercise at the end of this article can guide the writing of clear general and project mission statements.
For your next writing project, draft and finalize your general mission, goals, target audience, and genre statements. The exercise of limiting the number of words will show how easily non-essential words slip in.
Let this process-of joining personal writing mission statement with individual project mission statements-develop as a key professional pattern.
Take the time necessary. Statements should serve well the writer's present writing focus.
Mission, goals, and audience statements can be revised. They are intended to serve the writing content of different stages and interests of the writer's life.
EXERCISE
Look at the mission statement at the beginning of this article. Note these things about the mission statement:
1) It does not include goals or flowery language.
(2) It is said in fewer than 15 words.
Allow mission statement drafts, at every step, to sit for a while (hours or days) and, if needed, re-write before you move to the next step. You may want to use pencil until the end. Each step should help build the next one.
Make any amendments or restatements you feel would be appropriate. You will go from a longer statement to the final statement of no more than 14 words.
Steps to take for a clear mission statement
Step 1 – in up to 200 words, write a statement to express freely what you desire to do with your writing, including what deeply motivates you. Be very specific.
Step 2 - in up to 100 words, write your writing mission statement (above) with fewer words and more succinctness.
Step 3 - In up to 50 words, using the basis of your previous statements, re-write your mission statement. Choose words that will truly help direct you on your mission.
Step 4 - Final: In no more than 14 words, write your final personal mission statement.
Final Mission Statement
When you are satisfied with your final general-mission statement:
· Put a copy where you can see it often and stay with it until/unless the time comes when you need to refresh or revise it.
· Prepare a project mission statements for each writing project you undertake.
· Write goals, target audience, and genre(s) statements that fit well with the mission statement. This process will guard and direct the focus of language formation/grammar, style, vocabulary/reading level, and professional or technical terms.
© 2008 Jane Bullard. All rights reserved.
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