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Why Writers Must Dream (But Also Herd Cats)

March 26th, 2007 | blogging, responses, writing

Over at SuccessCreeations.com Chris Cree is talking about Visionaries and Executioners (er, Princes of Execution). He asks, Can you move (or move someone) from one category to the other?

I was born a dreamer. In college I began to forget appointments that mattered. (Like a date with my soon-to-be wife.)

She sat me down and said, “You can’t live like this.”

I said, “It’s just the way I am.”

She bought me a day planner. I tried for several years to make it work. But I kept forgetting to review the specific tasks for the day.

Then I forgot a parent-teacher conference. Yes, some kid’s dad took vacation time to meet with me about his son’s grade. And I forgot the meeting.

The tech revolution of the 1990s saved me. I bought a pocket calendar. Now when I entered tasks, it would beep at me to remind me to do simple things. Later I switched to various types of Palms. Soon I hope to get a Treo or something similar.

The Absent-Minded Flubber inventor would have remembered his own wedding with one of these things. I continue to use mine. (Today–9:00 call the doctor, 9:30 call to cancel a meeting, 10:00-4:00 a strategic editing meeting, 5:40 choir practice at church.) If I don’t write these things down and hear the beep, I won’t remember to go to them.

Sometimes I beep myself to remember to leave work.

But the machine has worked a little bit like training wheels. Every so often, I forget my Palm, but I remember the things I have to remember. And even more important, the little device has gradually (over a period of 13 years) taught me how to turn a vision into a series of strategic steps that fit into my calendar and beep at me when they come due.

Thinking about Chris’ question, I recalled my own experience moving gradually from Dreamer to Dreamer/Executioner. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve become a little bit like the anal retentive carpenter. Execution still doesn’t come naturally to me, but it’s a skill I’ve learned. And I do find joy in sorting out the puzzle of a schedule—much like Phil Hartman enjoyed the syntax of his tool belt pnuemonic.

Then I started thinking about a specific statement that Chris made:

When you are a one man (or one woman) show, you get to wear both hats. In fact you have to wear both of them or you are sunk.

Writers are a one person show. We go it alone—at least for the first draft usually. Then you call in the expert editor, and the agent, and the layout team, and the marketing team, and the whole gamut of resources that presses offer.

But writers build the prototype on their own.

They need to be visionaries:

  • Telling stories, beginning arguments with the end in mind
  • Knowing the unique selling proposition of their work
  • Thinking in grand epic images and metaphors
  • Creating characters and voices and motives and psychologies
  • Understanding and imagining the reader who will pick up their work
  • Knowing exactly what the audience can expect to get from the work.

But they also need to be executioners:

  • Scheduling time to write daily, BIC (butt-in-chair)
  • Creating characters, finding anecdotes in ways that are systematic
  • Sometimes mapping out plots (or the non-fiction persuasive arc) chapter by chapter
  • Paying attention to things like sentence structure, usage, standard grammar and punctuation. (It’s important y’all.)
  • And worst of all, mailing submissions, tracking magazines and rejections and queries and markets and agents.

Writing is an art. But so is any successful business. We can dabble in our art as an avocation. We can be serious hobbyists. But if we want to enter into the business of writing, if we want to receive credibility in the form of published work and publisher contracts, we’ve got to lose the wishy-washy, right-brained, psycho-pop image of ourselves as nutty professors who forget their own weddings (or dinner dates).

There may be some artists who present that image, but it’s probably just sprezzatura.

Like my wife taught me before we married, you can’t live like that. You won’t be successful.

Every writer is an entreprenuer. Every publisher is a venture capitalist looking for the next big brand.

The sooner writers realize this, the more focused they will be.

Keep the vision. Keep the passion. Break all the rules and write from the heart. But don’t use your vision or the creative process as an excuse to let the cats run off and stampede.

Execute. Execute. Execute.

There’s no other option.

(Note to readers: there’s still some house cleaning going on here. I will back in full force soon–when we finish the transfer to the new server. In the meantime, feel free to comment.)

(Another note to readers: I’m almost done with the house cleaning. We lost a few comments in the process, but I’ll load those back in tonight. Thanks for your patience!)


Viewing 22 Comments

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    Hi Mark

    Great how you've come up with in my eyes (executer, princes of execution ;-)) the other side of the coin.

    Makes me understand better.
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    Marcus

    Thanks for this - I'm definitely a vision type guy and your post is a reminder of the focus required to execute.
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    Touche! Yup, I gotta get back to my book (I've been mulling over the plot in my head, though-does that count?).
    >>Keep the vision. Keep the passion. Break all the rules and write from the heart. But don’t use your vision or the creative process as an excuse to let the cats run off and stampede.
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    Ahhh, nerds come in so many flavors - and almost all forget appointments, walk into walls - well, how was I supposed to know it was there, I wasn't looking, I was thinking - it's always an encouragement to remember there are others on the planet who must have calendars and lists just to function. My daughter used to say, "it's ok, my mom didn't forget ME, she's just thinking about the microscope".

    As to wisdom - and how not to try to fit scripture around "yours" - since I'm such an expert at the later, what I try to do is think it from the inside out. That is, what does scripture say and therefore what should I think rather than vice-versa. I'm rather prone to intuitive knowing what I think is right and why it is logical for you to think too - so it's best to try to remember not to have an opinion if it isn't one that God has taught from the inside out. It is rather like the metamorphosis from caterpillar through cocoon to butterfly – it just doesn’t work right the other way – and trust me, I was one ugly worm.

    Herding cats – oh yes – academians are like that too. And BIC – my favorite ever since I don’t like to sit down to write – for to do that, I must commit to an opinion and then support it. With scripture, it is so much easier for me – with science – like pulling teeth.
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    Funny to see myself listed under "Drama" over in the sidebar. Maybe this explains a few things...
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    Karin H. and Andre,

    My responses to you got lost in the server transfer. And Karin, I lost one of your comments. Sorry!

    In my original response to Karin, I mentioned an incredible museum that inspired me to become executioner--The Medieval Crime Museum in Rothenburg o.d.T. where I lived in high school. (Be sure to follow the link for a rousing good time! Thumb presses! Iron maidens! Bone-smashing wheels!)

    Andre, as a CEO and business leader, I suspect you need to be more of a dreamer than an executioner. When leaders get too involved in execution, they start to micro-manage. No one likes that!
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    Mark, Thanks for putting these lists together to point out that we really need both sides of the coin. I think that principle applies to most endeavors.

    The proper balance can be hard to find.

    And I like the idea of an electronic cattle prod. There was a time when I was compulsively punctual (the military frowns on tardiness). But since moving to the Deep South I find myself getting later and later. It is a trend I don't like. Maybe a gadget would be just the thing to help!
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    Eve, you and me both. I'm just having so much fun blogging, I may never write a book again! Is that wrong?

    (Also, my kids are young, and I get paid to ghost, so I'm already writing a lot, just not in my name.)
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    Susan, thanks for the thoughtful response.

    (Other readers, she's referring to a conversation we've been having on her blog Not Ashamed, that began with this post and continued on this post.)
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    L.L., hmmm. It appears the file transfer wasn't completely without a hitch yesterday. Oy was it a long night. But here we are on the other side.

    I made a cake for everyone, but then I was so stressed, I ate it all myself. Urp.
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    Chris, somehow your comment ended up on the old server. I brought it over this morning. I never thought of my palm as a cattle prod, but that's pretty accurate!

    I don't know that everyone needs both sides of the coin. But new companies or small companies (or individuals like writers who are essentially acting as one-person company) need to work to develop both sides.

    Once a company gets established with 5000 people or so, I think it becomes really important to separate the roles and get everyone to agree to honor the ideas of the Visionary. (And not try to steal the vision from him or her with their own tangential interests.)

    My organization is still small, so I toss out my visionary two cents on a regular basis. And that's about how much my visions are worth, too.
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    Marcus,
    lol-I've been caught up with blogging too. More into the designing and hacking (the legal stuff) and trying to sell my designs. waaay too much fun :)
    Gotta get back to the book!!
    Ghost writing? How do you like that?-At least your still writing. It's practice.
    I've been brain storming my plot...why are the bad guys evil...what disasters does my heroine meet.....

    And what's the big idea, eating all the cake !(I bet it was chocolate too!!) *grumble*
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    Never mind the lost comment of me, Marcus (was about Spring cleaning ;-) - my partner handles that).

    Funny, blogging has done two things for me recently: re-found my writers bug (short stories, more journalist like) AND visions for our business (or marketing, but that's the same). So in fact, double whammy ;-)
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    Have you looked at your blog on Firefox? It still looks funky (and there are a few cake crumbs too!). Some of the print on the sidebar is REALLY small, and some of the headings are missing.
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    Mark, Good thoughts here (especially, butt in the chair- ha).

    You have your mind on two many things. Isn't multi-tasking dangerous? Not that we don't have to manage about three or four things at the same time in our lives (or more). It's nice, and a break, when we can do just one thing and relax doing it. Though then, as you say, we'll inevitably have forgotten something!
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    L.L., thanks for the headsup! I took care of it, I think. It only took me an hour of poking around in the PHP files... But I learn something new everytime I go there.

    Ted, I definitely have a focus problem. I'm not usually spread quite so thin, but we had a series of deadlines that were missed and now everything is due at once. Makes life fun.

    Do just one thing? At a time, yes. But I always have multiple projects in the cue. It's just what I do.

    My family tells me that I am very present for them--but I have told them to let me know when I get out of control. (And they do!)
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    Hit a nerve this morning. Damn you.
    Oh... I mean, Thank you.
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    Karl, it's good to hear from you on the blog!
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    Reading this article made me smile. Many people in my life have given me paper planners that I used for one month or so, and then let go of. The last one I purchased myself and do my best to keep using it. Did you really learn to remember appointments from those little beeps? It might be time for me to check into a hand held device to beep me into consciousness. ;)

    Dreaming and thus executing the dream making it a reality can be a daunting task. It becomes overwhelming especially when one is inclined to try to do everything at once. I am learning to break projects down into smaller pieces thus enjoying the steps and growth stages of the ideas more. By doing it this way, rather than only enjoying the completion of the final project, I am growing and learning more. In the end, slowing this process down, is creating a sense of patience and personal well being within me.

    This article Marcus, reads very well and could be applied to writing related fields such as illustration, design and fine art creation. Being an executioner takes courage and trust in oneself in that regardless of outcome, he/she will not only know, but feel good that they finished what they set out to do.

    Nice to see you again :)
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    Jessica, you said, "I am learning to break projects down into smaller pieces thus enjoying the steps and growth stages of the ideas more."

    It's odd and a little sick. As an editor, I learned somewhere to enjoy the process much more the product. I really love the work itself. And I rarely think about the product once its done except for a celebratory cup of coffee and maybe a little office dance with one of my coworkers.
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    It’s odd and a little sick