Comments on: What’s Your Mission Statement?

By: Jane Ann McLachlan

Jane Ann McLachlan — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:08:54 +0000

Great post – very thought-provoking. Yes, writers need a mission statement, but I don’t think they can state it clearly when they begin. The more books you write, the clearer your purpose becomes. You find it by becoming aware of what moves you to write, and by recognizing recurring themes in your body of work. This awareness helps you clarify what you hope your books will accomplish – your mission statement.
“Writing books that meet the needs of readers” does not offer much more direction than “to get published”. You’re still left with which readers, which needs? A book of child porn meets the needs of a small (I hope) group of readers – is that as good a fit with what you want to accomplish as “scratching people’s souls”? (Love that phrase, by the way).
I think “mission statement” scares people in a writer. They think, soap box.
They should be thinking, a writer who is in control of her craft.

By: danholloway

danholloway — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:34:14 +0000

Very important question, Lynn. I wrote a piece at the start of the summer asking writers to try to boil down an answer to the question “what do you stand for?” (http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/writer-who-are-you/). There are lots of reasons why I think it’s important for a writer to be able to do that. But two really important ones are:
1. pragamatically, this is a question it’s really good to know right from the start. All kinds of things come along as your writing life develops. Many of them feel like wonderful opportunities, and many feel like annoying distractions. But knowing which of them actually are opportunities and which distractions is impossible unless you are absolutely clear where you want to be headed (because they’re not nouns that make sense in isolation – opportunity *for what*? distraction *from what*
?). The thing we have littlest of as writers is time, so knowing what are the opportunities and taking them and what are the distractions and avoiding them are key – but to do that you need to know what you stand for.
2. in terms of craft, I think (I’d be interested to know whether you, as an editor, agree) there’s an intimate connection between the clarity with which you know what you want to do and the clarity of that elusive quality of voice. Voice for me is about the unique way you look at the world, what you see when you see your characters or a situation, the whole perecptual lens. And words are the way you have of conveying that. Unless the image you see is crystal clear, the already removed verbal representation will be even muddier

By: hollyyoumans

hollyyoumans — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:51:30 +0000

Great question Lynn! For me, I needed to write from the heart on my first draft. If I had gone into my memoir with a plan, it would have stifled my creativity.

Rewrites are a different story (pun intended). On my most recent rewrite, I dove in with a clear theme. Anything that didn’t relate directly to my 20 year, undiagnosed anxiety disorder, had to go.

Still, I can’t say that a mission statement would have helped me. If I went into my edits with the intention to help others, I believe I would have written what I thought people would want to hear, rather than digging deep and writing my authentic thoughts, reaction, feelings, etc. It’s those small, true details, that are universal. That is what gives my story the power to heal. I would not have gotten there with a mission statement.

By: Amanda Rose Adams

Amanda Rose Adams — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:12:54 +0000

My mission in life (not just, but including writing) is to reveal the real in a way that yields compassion, release, and a change in perception in those with whom I interact. That’s just how I roll.

By: lynnpricewrites

lynnpricewrites — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 13:04:01 +0000

Pelo, I don’t think this fits in the query letter, but rather it could help authors clarify their own goals a bit more clearly.

By: Anita Neuman

Anita Neuman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:59:15 +0000

I have a mission statement for myself as a person, which keeps me focused on broader goals in life and helps me prioritize my day-to-day stuff. But a mission statement specific to my writing? Hmmmm…thought-provoking indeed!

By: Pelotard

Pelotard — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:51:44 +0000

My only question is “Where in the query letter does it go?” since it never occured to me not to have one. (I might have to polish the wording, but I know what it _feels_ like.)

By: lynnpricewrites

lynnpricewrites — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:39:06 +0000

I felt the same way, Kelly, but I have to admit that the whole mission statement thing made me think more deeply about my writing and clarifying my goals.

By: Kelly Exeter

Kelly Exeter — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:35:41 +0000

Hmm … I am averse to mission statements in business so I reckon I am averse to them as a writer too. I think they are akin to over thinking things a bit and making something simple (write things that people want to read) more complex than it needs to be.