Art of War for Writers: Too-Low Expectations?
October 1st, 2010 § Leave a Comment
It was tempting to skip over blogging sections 5, 6 and 7 of AOWFW. They deal with expectations, and I’ve never really had any when it comes to writing. Sure I have hopes, but expectation is another beast – one I generally avoid. I’m not planning on a writing career or even making money. I would like to publish something, someday, mainly for the outside validation I imagine it would bring. But I’m not counting on it.
Red flag? Can a writer’s expectations also be too low? Well, that would affect goal-setting, which I hear is important for successful ventures of all kind. Gut-check… Yup, goal-setting is not a specialty of mine. Dreaming, yes. Eclectic, eternally entry-level hobbying, sure. And without high expectations, I can’t really maintain passion or priority for my writing.
Who knows what James Scott Bell would think of my take-away from these three sections, but it is this: Expect More Than Nothing. Haha.
And I suppose some expectations are realistic, if I’m honest. I can truthfully expect more than nothing from my writing. I can expect to improve. I can expect that I will write things I’m proud of, that capture the crazy ideas I have in poignant ways. And from the work I’ve already done, I know I can expect to have fun with it. That’s not nothing either.
