By Susan
Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine
For an author the
mission statement for himself or herself as a writer may feel like a “Mission
Impossible” some days.
Anytime we have to
commit to a formal summary of our aims and values it becomes a tad daunting.
After all this is putting to paper our very existence as an author. This
becomes a responsibility, a commitment. We’re defining who we are as an author.
With that said, an
author needs a mission statement to keep them on track. This statement spells
out your goals; how you will make decisions. You will be stating what you will
write, what it does for your readers and what it does for you.
I consider this a tool
for authors to communicate and develop their objective as a writer. It helps us
understand what we are doing.
It should be short and
to the point. You could start with defining what genre you write, what it does
for your reader and what it does for you.
An example of a first
sentence in a mission statement would be the first sentence for Southern
Writers Magazine’s mission statement:We promote and showcase authors and
their books. Yours might be: I create historical fiction
novels for readers of the American Revolutionary period.
Don’t try to make it
flowery, the fewer words the better.
Here are some sights you
may want to visit that give information for authors and their mission
statements.
Joanne G Phillips: https://joannegphillips.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/author-mission-statements/
Allen Watson: https://authorallenwatson.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/your-indie-author-mission-statement/
There are obviously more
sites but I think you can get the gist from these four.
Take the time to put in
writing what your career as an author is and it will set you on the “write”
footing. When
you first start out trying to put it to paper, it may seem like a Mission
Impossible but you will succeed. Should you choose to accept this
“Mission” we would like to hear what you come up with.
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