A professional colleague once told me, “Success comes before work only in the dictionary.” I remember her words today many years later because I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be successful as a writer. The truth is, you have to work at being a writer. Success doesn’t happen overnight.

Even before we put any words on the page or think about our next story, we should think about what success means. To truly enjoy success in this odd creative profession we call writing, it helps to picture what success looks like. That picture won’t be the same for everyone. For one person, success might be getting their novel published after slaving over it for five years. For another, it’s finishing a first draft of their first novel. For yet another person, it might be sitting down to write 500 words every day.

When you’re just starting out as a writer, it might be difficult to imagine the big picture of your writing life because you’re more focused on getting words down on the page for your current project, or simply finishing your story. Few writers have any clear idea what their writing careers will look like down the road. They only know that they want to write something that people will want to read and enjoy.

There are two good reasons why picturing success is an important first step in your writing career. It helps you to:

*Imagine a positive income for your efforts
*Work toward a concrete goal

Picturing success isn’t always easy, at least not when you’re starting out as a writer. There are several steps to create that picture that will drive your creative efforts.

Step 1: Define Success
Before you picture success, take time to define what it means for you. What does it look like? What does it feel like in your body? Write down that definition and meditate on it. Your definition won’t be the same as someone else’s, so don’t be shy about defining it in unique ways.

Step 2: Think Ahead
Imagine what your writing life looks like one year from now or longer. Sometimes picturing your life in the future can help you set intermediate goals that will act as stepping stones toward that long-term goal. In the corporate world, they use a similar method called a Blueprint for Success. Apply it to your own writing career and see where it takes you.

Another trick is to use visualization exercises to help you “see” your success as if you’ve already achieved it. Close your eyes and visualize yourself receiving that writing award, reading a positive book review, or seeing your name as a byline. As you visualize your success, note how it feels in your body. That is the mindset you want to re-create as you move forward.

Step 3: Find a medium that best fits your picture.
Once you’ve defined success on your terms, consider different ways to picture success. Some creatives might prefer drawings or photographs while others use words. Whichever medium you choose, make it something that is meaningful and helps you see the possibilities for your career success as a writer. Here are a few ideas to get started:

* Meditation. Take time out of your day to meditate for a few minutes. Meditation can slow your brain which can help clarify the picture of your writing life. The mind can get fuzzy at times trying to juggle so many thoughts and tasks. So a brief meditation about success can bring your writer self into sharper focus.

* Journaling – Write about your writing dreams. Jot down ideas on how to achieve them. This might be a good place to jot down your definition of success, what it looks like and feels like to you. Journaling can help you sort out any feelings of self-doubt or confusion or fear that you might have related to your writing career.

* Create a vision board or a collage. Compile photos from your own collection or cut them from magazines to create a collage representing your writing career. Choose the images that best tell the story of your writing life, the goals you want to achieve or what you want your writing life to look like.

* Sketch your vision of success. If you enjoy drawing, sketch pictures that demonstrate your picture of success the way you defined it. The act of drawing or sketching can reinforce your writing goals so you feel more connected to them.

* Repeat affirmations. Create several affirmations to reflect what you want to achieve in your writing life. Then once a day, repeat those affirmations several times. The act of repetition, just like the drawings, can reinforce your picture of success so you don’t lose sight of it.

* Write a note to your future self. With a pen and paper, describe the writing life you’d like to achieve a year from that moment. Remind yourself what your goals are and what obstacles you must overcome to achieve them. Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Then fold up the note and bury it somewhere out of sight. Make a note to retrieve it in one year to review and reassess your progress.

* Write a manifesto. A manifesto is a declaration of intentions. To picture her own success as a writer, Octavia Butler created a manifesto that helped her stay focused on her writing goals. Whether or not you aim as high as Butler, your manifesto can guide your efforts as a writer.  Much like affirmations, a manifesto can reinforce your picture of success.

* Create a symbol of success. Think of a symbol or icon to represent what success means to you. It could be a star, a book, a smiley face, a rolled up scroll, a heart. Make sure the icon has meaning for you and relates to your vision of success. Then put the symbol somewhere where you can see it every day, whether it’s by your desk, a refrigerator, a mirror. Seeing the symbol everyday can serve as a reminder of what you want to achieve in your writing life.

Step 4: Revisit and Revise
No matter which medium you choose, it’s important to revisit your picture every so often, usually six months or a year. Have your goals changed? Has your definition of success changed? Have you set new goals for yourself? If your picture of success hasn’t changed, keep working. If it has, rewrite your goal, resketch that picture of success, then get back to work.

Keep your picture of success close so you never lose sight of what you want to accomplish.