The Fabulist Flash

Issue 119

with Photography by Gregory A. Kompes

2007 Holiday Celebration

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. Your Ticket to Success
3. Compelling Goals
4. Fran Shaff takes the 18Q
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

Taking my own advice, I spent time over the past week reflecting on 2006 and planning goals for 2007. My important accomplishment over the past year: believing that I'm an author and writer.

At the end of 2005, my first book, 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, had just been published. I entered 2006 afraid. I didn't know how to promote a book, conduct myself during an interview, or what my year held. My goals were vague: Promote my book and write another one.

Even with such vague goals, I had a successful year. I took part in dozens of print and radio interviews, I learned book marketing techniques, enjoyed several major successes and survived many failures. I learned that the failures weren't all that bad and each one was a learning opportunity. Among the successes: promoting my book to #1 on the Washington Blade's best selling books list, waving from a convertible as St. Pete Pride's parade grand marshal, speaking at a National Speakers Association-Las Vegas event with Dan Poynter and Robin Jay, speaking at the Las Vegas Valley Book Festival, and coordinating the 2006 Las Vegas Writer's Conference.

Along the way, when reporters, interviewers, and new people I met asked what I do for a living, the response "I'm a writer" wasn't just a title on my business card. I came to believe in that title as my own. I even started having fun saying "I'm a writer and best selling author." It feels good to know and trust those words.

As we enter 2007, my list of goals are more concrete. I have a clear vision of several things I plan to accomplish. And, no matter what happens, whether I achieve my ambitious list or not, I know and trust that I'm a writer.

If one of your 2007 goals includes writing an eBook, help and advice have arrived. After several solid nudges, my new eBook, Should You Write an eBook, is now available. It explains what eBooks are, why you’re the perfect expert to write one, how to write, market and sell your eBook. Get your copy today!

This is the last week to stop by, say "Hi" and pick up an author signed book at the Henderson Farmer's Market. Located at the Downtown Event Plaza on Water Street (Henderson, NV) Thursday, December 21 from 11 AM - 6 PM.

There's more goal setting advice in this week's issue. Michele Pariza Wacek explains that setting goals is Your Ticket to Success and Gretchen Sunderland offers advice on setting Compelling Goals - Setting and Achieving Them. Plus, Fran Shaff takes the 18Q.

Until next week,

Gregory

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Gregory A. Kompes (www.kompes.com) is a writer, manuscript consultant and author of the bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, The Endorsement Quest, The Everyday Gay Activist, Turning Your Writing Hobby into a Writing Career and Should You Write an eBook?

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Preview 9 essential books for writers on The Writer's Bookshelf

2. Your Ticket to Success

Setting Goals - Your Ticket to Success
by Michele Pariza Wacek

You know that old saying -- if you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there. That's what happens if you don't take the time to figure out what your goals are and WRITE them down. There's power in writing things down. Trust me, I'm a writer. I KNOW.

Figuring out your goals is probably one of the most important and one of the most overlooked steps for creative professionals starting their business. Ideally you should put together a business plan. However, I have yet to meet a creative professional (including myself) who has one. (In fact, if you do have a business plan, please contact me. I'd love to chat with you about it.) Second best is getting your goals down on paper. Here are some things to include.

* Your personal mission statement. What do you want to accomplish in your life? Not just as a creative professional, artist or writer, but as a person. Knowing your mission will make organizing your time much easier.

* Your creative or artistic goals -- both long-term and short-term. What do you want to accomplish in three months? Six months? This year? Five years from now?

* Your financial goals -- both long-term and short-term. Don't forget to write down how much money you want to make.

* Your plans for your business -- both long-term and short-term. Break it down the same as your creative or artistic goals -- three months, six months, one year and five years. Include a marketing plan as well. It doesn't have to be elaborate, just figure out who your target market is, where your target market is (i.e., local, regional, specific cities or national), and how you're going to reach your target market.

* Action steps for each goal, including the marketing plan. Break each goal into manageable steps, number each step and add a completion date. Make a separate copy of this and put it where you can incorporate these action steps into your daily activities.

Don't rush this process. In fact, you should make it a treat for yourself. Go on a retreat. Try and get away for at least a day if at all possible (a couple of days would be better yet). Go somewhere where you won't be interrupted (and that includes the cell phone). Allow yourself some quiet time to really think. If it helps, do some meditating or journaling during this time.

Don't worry about it being perfect either. This is a working document. Ideally you should review it every six months or a year and see where you are and what's changed.

Now, when I first started my business five years ago, I hadn't planned anything or written anything down.

This was a mistake.

Sure I had some vague notions in my head of where I wanted my business and my writing to go, but by not committing anything to paper, I didn't end up there. My first three years of my business I was busy and making money, but I wasn't getting anywhere near the vague notions dancing around in my head. Even more amazing, I couldn't figure out why.

So two years ago, I started a regular practice of writing down my goals and plan (much like the above). I do it twice a year, and you wouldn't believe the difference. Sure, my plans are far bigger than what I actually accomplish, and I've also found myself modifying and changing my action steps (the goals remain pretty constant, but how I attain those goals does change).

Best yet, I'm now seeing results. I'm accomplishing my goals.

Take the time to go through this process. The rewards are worth it.

Creativity Exercise -- Goal setting and creativity

If every year you find yourself setting goals and never making ANY strides toward reaching them, perhaps it's time to ask yourself why. Could it be they aren't YOUR goals but someone else's goals for you?

I don't care what the goal is -- stopping smoking, losing weight, starting an online business, writing that novel -- there's a reason it keeps climbing up, then falling off the goal list. And until you figure out WHY that goal is stuck in the never-never land of goal setting, you'll never actually pull it into reality.

Is it because you don't know where to start? Or is the project so big you're afraid to start? Or you're stuck somewhere in the middle and don't know what to do next?

Or is it because you really don't want to do it?

Okay, I'm probably dredging up all sorts of demons now, but truly, those demons need to be exorcised or they're constantly going to be standing between you and your goal.

What I suggest is to take some quiet time and do a little soul searching. Journaling and meditation are both excellent ways of opening up a dialogue between you and your muse. Your muse is an excellent resource for you. If you ask, it will tell you which goals really matter and really don't matter to you.

And, if it turns out that goal is something you don't want to do? Then stop putting it on your goal list. I mean it. Quit making yourself feel like a failure by constantly sticking it on that list.

What if the goal is something like quitting smoking? Something you know you have to do because it's hurting your health? Try this instead. Rather than making it your goal to quit smoking, make it your goal to figure out why you don't want to quit. And what you can do to help yourself become committed to quitting.

Whatever you do, don't make turn this exercise into a license to beat yourself up. Be nice to yourself. You're doing this to help, not hurt, yourself.

About the Author
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Michele Pariza Wacek is the author of "Got Ideas? Unleash Your Creativity and Make More Money." She offers two free e-zines that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.TheArtistSoul.com. Copyright 2005 Michele Pariza Wacek

3. Compelling Goals

Compelling Goals - Setting and Achieving Them
by Gretchen Sunderland

How many times have you set a goal, felt excited, started some action, and then dropped it when it became too tough to follow through, or you got sidetracked? What about the other goals that you actually accomplished? What was the difference that made you follow through on one goal, but not the other?

Sometimes it is because the goal you achieved is compelling and the one you didn't is not. For instance, which goal sounds more attractive in the following example? "I hate the way I look; I need to lose 20 pounds." Or, "I can see myself in five months at my high school reunion - slim, healthy, and full of energy!"

When your mind hears goals with a negative framework like "I've got to get out of debt", your subconscious only hears the word "debt" and steers you in that negative direction. We all know that what we focus on grows, and focusing on the word "debt" will keep you focused on never having enough money. If you were to change the same goal into a powerful positive image, it might be: "Money flows to me effortlessly and I have a large savings account." Or even better: "I have the home of my dreams, completely paid off, and I vacation in Tahiti for a month each year."

We all know the saying that goals need to be S.M.A.R.T.. That is, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive. I would go another step further and add that they must also be compelling. The goal must strongly connect with you on an emotional level.

I'll give you an example from my own life. I had always owned a sports car, but had to trade mine in for a more practical sedan after I had back surgery. My goal was two-fold – I wanted to be able to physically get in a sports car, which meant healing my back, and I wanted a car that (naturally) just happened to be more expensive than my last one, which meant earning more money. Here is the compelling goal I set: I visualized myself easily bending down to slide in a forest-green Mitsubishi 3000 GT, turning on the purring engine, listening to the great stereo system, smelling the tan leather seats, and then taking off and driving down a winding road around the lake. I could feel, hear, smell, and almost taste the experience! That's a compelling goal, at least for me, yours may (will) be totally different.

I set a time line of one year and made a plan. When the physical therapy got painful, I thought of my vision. When I just didn't want to make one more call, I pictured that car. Actually I carried a picture of the car with me in my purse, and less than a year later I purchased the car and took that drive!

Author and motivator Tony Robbins is a big proponent of posting pictures of your goals all over your house and office, and he advocates rehearsing and emotionally enjoying the experience of achieving each one of your valued goals at least twice a day. If you are striving for President's Club, rehearse seeing yourself standing up on the podium to receive the award. If you want to buy a new house, find pictures of houses you love and tape them up where you will see them. You may have multiple goals that you paste on poster board for a "dream chart".

This absolute focus on what you want (not on what you don't want) will propel you into action. Your mind will filter out distractions that will not get bring you any closer to your goals. Another benefit of compelling goals is that it is easier to handle disappointments or set backs when your goals are irresistible. When you understand that set backs are only part of the process, you can actually see that rejection only helps you get closer to your goals. It goes without saying that you must create energy and activity around your goal. Without sufficient action, you won't experience either disappointment or success. You'll just keep muddling along.

Your certainty and self-confidence will grow as you take action. Your goals will allow you to attract the appropriate coaches and role models who will guide you in taking the most effective actions to produce results quickly. Using a mentor can really accelerate your results.

Actually, goals are the means to an end and not the ultimate purpose of our lives. Have you ever noticed that once a goal is achieved you discover other, perhaps larger goals? Goals are a powerful tool to allow us to focus our energy. They will not make us happy all by themselves, but we are shaped by our pursuit of our goals. We learn to overcome obstacles, develop character, and discover who we really are in the process. This process can give us deep and long-lasting fulfillment, and prepares us for an even better life.

So what are the best ways to craft compelling goals that will propel you forward?

* Decide what you want

* Ask yourself how you will feel when you have accomplished this goal

* Go back and craft your goal using these emotions. Use as many emotions as possible to make the goal come alive for you

* Find pictures that express this goal and place them where you will see them daily

* Remind yourself of your goal at least twice every day

* Set a time limit to accomplish this goal

* Develop a plan of action, right down to what you need to do every day to move closer to your goal

* Start now, and make it happen!

I wish you great success. You can do it!

About the Author
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Gretchen Sunderland is a full time life coach, working with many clients on strategies to achieve their dream lives. Her web site is www.coachgretchen.com, email: gretchens@adelphia.net and phone, 518-793-9422.

4. Fran Shaff takes the 18Q

Biography
A native of South Dakota, Fran Shaff has also resided in Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota. Living in so many different “home towns” provides fertile background for her writing. She loves to include humor in her stories whenever she can. Fran lives with her husband James and their son Zachary. Bucky the hyper chocolate lab and Blackjack the mouse-catching retriever share a dog house in their yard.

Bibliography
A Partner's Promise
Montana Match
The Love Trap
Ever So Humble
Lost Hearts
Stolen Son
Change of Heart

URL
www.members.aol.com/frnshaff

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
Either a person is a writer, or she is not. And if she is a writer, she must write. Writing chooses the writers, not the other way around.

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education. I taught high school in the past.

3. When did you 'know' you were a writer?
I wrote my first poem when I was about 8 years old, and I've had an interest in writing ever since.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
I write with a great deal of emotion, whether I'm writing comedy or drama. Readers often tell me they can really feel what my characters are feeling.

5. What is your writing process?
Get an idea, decide whether or not the idea is worth developing, do necessary research, lay out the plot and sketch the characters, (this step sometimes fills in at this spot--pre-sell the book to an editor) write the first draft, do rewrites, polish the manuscript and turn it in to my editor.

6. What was your path to publication?
I studied writing books, wrote thousands and thousands of words, bad stories and good ones, and then began to sell books.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
I haven't hit on a favorite yet.

8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer?
How hard it is to sell books once they are published.

9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity?
Taking time to relax always sparks creativity.

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
The minute I opened the box of my first books. I was in awe of that box of MONTANA MATCH books. They were so beautiful--hardcover, lovely book jacket. Seeing those books was the most profound moment of my writing life. Even for a writer, the way I felt cannot be put into words, but I know other writers understand what I mean.

11. What's the best advice you were given about writing?
My cousin David, a clergyman, told me that if God gives a person a talent, she must use it. That statement changed my whole writing life. Writing was no longer a hobby to enjoy. I suddenly had a duty to try to be the best writer I could be.

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
Don't have one, and if I did, I probably wouldn't tell you. :-)

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
[Not answered]

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
Do the best you can do and never give up.

15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun?
I love to quilt and indulge in various craft projects as well as read.

16. Who do you like to read?
I have never read a particular "who." I like to read from many genres, fiction and non-fiction.

17. What's your advice for new writers?
Learn everything you can about writing, take this knowledge to heart as you write and incorporate it into your work. Know that writing is hard, demanding work. Never give up.

18. What are you currently working on?
I am currently writing the third book of my "Heart Junction Series" for Mundania Press.

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Are you a published writer? Take the 18Q today!

To read all the 18Q responses or take the 18Q visit EighteenQuestions.com

5. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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