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03Feb 2015 by Dianna L. Gunn

Passing it forward — at every level of success

Have you successfully finished the first draft of a novel? Gotten your first short story, poem or even a novel published? Built a solid network of writer friends to help propel you towards success? If you've accomplished any or all of these things, you're ahead of thousands of other writers. You might not feel like a success--it's hard to feel successful in writing if you're still relying on that day job--but you've actually already achieved something or potentially several things thousands of other writers are struggling to achieve. And along the way you probably learned something that can help other writers achieve the same thing. Now, I'm not suggesting you try to help all of those writers. I'm not even suggesting that you start a blog about writing. There are already thousands…

30Dec 2014 by dlgunn

What have you accomplished this year? (Giveaway Included)

Inspirational, Writing

Tomorrow is all about celebrating the new year and the opportunity to spend another 365 days improving your life, but today is about celebrating what you accomplished this year. Today I'd like you to take 10 minutes to write down everything you've accomplished this year. Write down anything and everything you think of, writing related or not. After 10 minutes, take a look at your list. Is it longer than you expected? Are there a few big accomplishments that you'll be proud of for years to come? Have you made big strides towards a successful writing career? Lost weight? Stopped smoking cigarettes or eating so much fast food? In 2014 I edited two novels, blogged regularly, created a booklet of 110 free novel planning resources for anyone who subscribes to my…

25Nov 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

5 Reasons Not to Give Up

Inspirational, Nanowrimo, Writing

The month is almost over and hopefully you're close to hitting your goals for the month, whether that means 50K, 100K or a finished novel. Of course, life has many different ways of preventing you from reaching your goals, so there's a pretty good chance that you're nowhere near your goals and wondering what made you think it was a good idea to pursue them in the first place. If you're far behind where you wanted to be at this time of the month, you're not alone. There are thousands of other Wrimos struggling through the same things right now, and you can find a great many of them on the forums. More importantly, having fallen behind doesn't mean you should give up. No matter what your word count is,…

20Jan 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

The importance of personal connections

Inspirational, Writing

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ― Jim Rohn Writing may primarily be a solitary endeavor, but it's still important to have some kind of community supporting you. Staying connected to other writers is comforting and having a solid writer community supporting you means you will always find a way to push past writer's block. Even more important than forming friendships with other writers is choosing to surround yourself with people who are dedicated to becoming successful and living their dreams, people who focus on moving forward every single day. I've done this by going to an arts school with a heavy focus on business. Being around such talented, driven minds has inspired me to push myself harder than I ever have…

14Dec 2012 by diannagunn

Identifying the Keys to Your Success

Goal setting, Inspirational, Writing

The keys to your success are the stepping stones on your journey. These things are usually the same for anyone pursuing the kind of success you are. For example, a fiction writer's keys to success includes writing short stories and submitting regularly. A freelance writer's list might include researching a variety of topics and querying a variety of markets about different articles. While each individual's goals will be more specific than this because everyone's exact definition of success is different, the keys to success will be almost identical for people aiming to reach the same career or financial/emotional place in their lives. Today I'd like you to consider what the keys to your success might be. While the most important thing is to look inward and ask yourself how you…

07Dec 2012 by Dianna Gunn

Define Your Success

Goal setting, Inspirational, Workshops, Writing, Writing

Success means different things to different people. The media often portrays success as a house, a long-term partner, kids and money. Your family probably has their own definition of success, based on both the media's definition success and their own feelings. Your friends probably each have their own definition of success too. Even the strange old hermit down the street has her own definition of success. Though success is only one word, it has as many definitions as there are people. What is true for everyone, though, is that you will never be truly happy if you don't strive to reach your own definition of success. Too many people go chasing after their parents' ideas of success, and end up with diplomas and careers they care nothing for. They gain…

18May 2011 by diannagunn

A Writer’s Dream

Inspirational, Writing

Every person wants different things; every person's definition of success is different. There are individual successes, like when you ace a test in school, and there are overall successes, like when you get your high school diploma. As writers, we share many of the same individual successes-finishing a book, finishing an edit, submitting your book, getting published. These successes are shared by writers of all genres. Overall success, however, changes from writer to writer. Individual successes in the fiction writing business are universal: the first finished book, the first successful rewrite, the first agent, the first contract, the first book sale. The first royalty check. Success in writing cannot be determined by the amount of money you make, or you're sure to get discouraged-it takes time for even the best…