The Power of Purpose: Setting Intentions for Writers
Cultivating the Writer's Mindset Part III: How to Infuse Purpose into Your Creative Process
Have you ever stalled out on a story you were writing, but you’re not sure why you lost interest? Ever struggle with shiny object syndrome? Ever follow the steps another creator used, but you’re not having the same success?
If so, today’s post might help…
Welcome to Part III of "Cultivating the Writer’s Mindset," a series focused on unlocking your creative potential by addressing the thoughts and beliefs that limit you. As we explore how these internal barriers contribute to self-doubt, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and other negative patterns writers face, you'll learn to reshape your thinking, paving the way for ease and success. If you haven't read Part I and Part II, I recommend starting there.
Like many newlyweds, when my wife and I got married, we shared our goals and aspirations. We discussed who we wanted to be and how we could help one another reach those dreams.
At one point, those discussions included writing a bucket list, and I wrote down 100 things I wanted to do before I died.
After I shared the list with my wife, I quickly forgot about it.
The bucket list has faded into history, but one thing I still remember clearly about that time is our conversation about the perfect day. Over dinner at our favorite restaurant—Fourth Story, which was part of The Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver…damn, I miss that place—we shared our visions of what the perfect day might look like.
For me, when I imagined the perfect workday, I saw myself waking up and enjoying a cup of tea and a book. Then, I spend my morning writing. Afterward, I work out and go for a long walk with my wife, preferably around the small, secluded lake not far from our mountain home. After eating lunch together, I scurry to my office and edit a novel or comic script for a client.
Nearly 20 years after those conversations, I was still languishing in my corporate writing job. Every day was soul-crushing, but I knew in my bones that I could make that vision come true… I just didn’t know how.
Then, after years of debating, the opportunity arose, and I quit my job.
I wasn’t ready. Not in the slightest. I didn’t have a high-paying side gig with hundreds of clients. I didn’t have a five-year cushion in the bank.
But I leapt anyway.
It was a struggle at first—and quite frankly, it still can be. There are days I’m not sure what the hell I’m doing, and I feel like it’ll all come crashing down at any moment.
I’m not there yet, but I continue to work my way closer to that perfect-day vision.
So why did the perfect day stick with me, but the items on my bucket list didn’t?
Because the bucket list was just a bunch of goals. It was a list of things I thought I wanted to do.
But the perfect day resonated with my core beliefs. When I imagined that day, I felt the vision. Not in a vision board sort of way, but in my heart. When I imagined that day, I felt an inner harmony in my actions, which is something I’ve always sought.
Not only that, but I knew my writing and editing helped other creative people. Even if I couldn’t pinpoint it specifically, I knew my writing resonated with readers, and I knew my editing was helping other writers improve their skills.
I didn’t know it at the time, but there were intentions buried in that vision. There was a purpose behind it. I wasn’t typing away for fame and glory. Instead, my life meant something.
In other words, even if I didn’t understand it, that vision was aligned with my core beliefs, whereas the bucket list was just a bunch of random things I thought I wanted to do.
To understand why this matters for writers like you and me, let’s look at the differences between goals and intentions.
Goals vs. Intentions
The importance of setting goals has been drilled into us from an early age, and every January, we’re repeatedly reminded how important they are. Just set SMART goals and go get ‘em, right?
But why is it easy to stay focused on some goals but not others? The goals themselves might not be easy to attain, but we at least continue striving for them. Meanwhile, others are forgotten almost as quickly as we write them down.
It’s all about intentions. I’ve found that without a strong intention, goals are, at best, hit or miss.
But what’s the difference between a goal and an intention?
Goals are outcome-oriented. You give yourself deadlines and strive to achieve certain results.
An intention is more about a state of being. It’s the purpose behind your actions. It's a guiding principle for how you want to live your life, the kind of person you want to become, or the impact you want to have.
In a way, goals are the what, and the intentions are the why. The goals help you visualize what you want and how to get there, and intentions help you embody the qualities you want to manifest in your actions and decisions.
This is where the “I am” statements come in. By clearly accepting yourself as a writer, for example, you begin to embody that persona and start acting the part. That is, if you believe your “I am” statement.
As it turns out, it’s a lot easier to believe something that aligns with my core beliefs.
To help explain why intentions are important for writers and other artists, let’s look at some examples.
Possible Intentions for Writers
"I am" statements build self-belief, and SMART goals outline concrete steps to reach a desired outcome. Meanwhile, intentions provide the purpose and emotional resonance that drive you.
Great, but what does that actually mean? What does an intention look like? How do they help?
Here are a few possibilities…
Intention: Purpose
Let’s say you’re writing because you want to impact others. You want your words to deeply move your readers. Your intention might be:
"My intention is to write stories that deeply resonate with readers, taking them on a journey of emotions and self-reflection that enrich their lives."
Powerful, right? If this intention feels right, it might help you:
Set specific goals aligned with creating meaningful content, such as learning to develop complex characters or exploring profound themes.
Prioritize your efforts. With this intention, you might decide to focus on character-driven narratives that raise deep questions. As a comic writer, you might decide not to spend money on dynamic or overly sexual variant covers.
Craft supportive "I am" statements for yourself, such as "I am a storyteller who creates impactful narratives that make readers reflect on their own lives."
Understand the best way to direct your personal and professional development efforts. For example, you might choose to explore diverse perspectives to enrich your storytelling capabilities instead of paying for a marketing course.
Intention: Creativity
Maybe your core beliefs are more aligned with exploration and innovation. For you, it’s all about learning to trust your creative instincts. Your intention might be:
"I intend to embrace creativity during my writing sessions, allowing my imagination to lead the way and welcoming unexpected ideas with enthusiasm."
Sounds like a panster to me. If this feels like you, this intention:
Fosters an open mindset and welcomes new ideas. It might lead to goals such as exploring a new genre or writing style, or it might lead you to try poetry.
Encourages innovation, which might lead to thinking outside the box and bucking trends.
Supports flow, flexibility, and adaptability. Your “I am” statement might change to, "I am an imaginative writer who trusts in my creative instincts.” In turn, that might lead to goals such as, “I will write a complete first draft without self-editing.”
Intention: Commercial Success
Yes, you can set intentions around commercial success, too. Perhaps your core beliefs are more centered around achievement and influence. If so, your intention might be:
"My intention is to write stories that captivate a broad audience, optimizing my content for market demand and leveraging effective marketing strategies to achieve financial success."
That sounds like marketing mumbo jumbo to some; to others, it sounds like sweet, sweet music. This intention focuses on:
Writing stories that are entertaining and accessible to a wide range of readers, which can lead to goals that lean toward identifying and marketing toward trending genres.
Aligning your stories with what readers are currently interested in, which might lead to goals such as, "Conduct market research every quarter to stay current on reader preferences."
Develop a self-affirming “I am” statement like, "I am a strategic writer who creates captivating fiction that resonates with a diverse audience and drives commercial success."
Regardless of where your intentions lie, if your intention resonates emotionally with your very being, it will enhance your motivation and dedication to your goals.
An intention will help you understand which projects to focus on and which to ignore.
As you’re writing, a well-aligned intention can help you understand why you’re writing this particular story, which will help ensure your story continues to resonate with your why.
Journal Exercises
The point of these journal exercises is to help you uncover your hidden beliefs. To help you get to know the real reasons you write.
For these journal exercises, set aside time to be alone so you can write freely. This is a time for you to write openly without judgment from others or from yourself.
Have you ever asked yourself what you really want? It’s challenging. We’re so used to worrying about what others want. What we imagine others expect of us.
Sometimes we get caught up in what the world tells us we should want. There’s so much noise about gaining more numbers that it can be difficult to accept that it’s okay to want to focus on the craft, or that it’s okay to want to just tell a fun story for friends and family.
It might take time to dig deep enough, but with a journal, a pen, and some quiet time, you might be surprised at what you discover.
Exercise I: Self-Reflection
With these journal prompts, you’re not writing a goal. Heck, you’re not even setting intentions yet. Instead, you’re using your journaling time to reflect on who you are and what you want.
Take 10-15 minutes to:
Reflect on Your Values — Identify what truly matters to you. Consider your core values and beliefs, as they often serve as the foundation for meaningful intentions. If you’ve never done anything like this, check out the lists by Brené Brown and James Clear to get yourself started.
Visualize Your Ideal Outcome — Imagine what success looks like for you. But don’t just look in terms of achievements, but also consider it in terms of personal fulfillment. What part of you feels rewarded if you meet your goals? What makes it meaningful for you?
Listen to Your Emotions — Pay attention to your emotional responses when you think about your goals. Feelings of excitement, passion, or peace and calm can indicate an alignment with your genuine intentions, those that hit your core beliefs.
Identify Your Passions — Consider what activities or topics you are naturally drawn to. Your passions often reveal areas where you might want to set intentions. Your intuition about which actions to focus on next can be an incredibly powerful thing.
Exercise II: Would You Rather?
If the previous journal exercise seems a little dry and formal, here’s something a little more fun.
Below are several “would you rather” questions. For each one, jot down which answer resonates with you immediately. Do you see similarities in your answers?
Would you rather write a book that inspires every reader to pursue their dreams or one readers can’t stop talking about because of the insane plot twist?
Would you rather write a bestseller in a genre you despise or a lesser-known novel in a genre you’re passionate about?
Would you rather have your last published work forgotten in a year but earn enough from it to live comfortably, or create something timeless that you earn nothing from?
Would you rather have a writing schedule that always guarantees you are productive but limits your creativity, or a sporadic schedule where creativity flows freely but productivity is unpredictable?
Would you rather self-publish for a set of 1,000 ravenous fans who buy every book, or be traditionally published with no certainty the book will succeed?
Would you rather write the same genre for 20 years, or switch genres with every new book knowing you’ll need to research trends?
Would you rather write a book with familiar tropes and beats readers expect, or write something completely new and fresh every time?
Would you rather have 100 readers who you connect with regularly, or 10,000 readers you never hear from?
If you knew you’d have your book complete within six months, would you rather write every day for 15 minutes, or twice a week for an hour?
Would you rather write a bestselling novel using a pen name you can never talk about, or write a moderately-successful novel with your real name?
This is just a set of example questions. You can create your own with variables around writing routines, creativity, learning and growth, consistency, etc. But by asking yourself these questions and sitting with your answers, you might start to understand what matters to you.
Exercise III: Set an Intention
After you’ve done some free writing and pondered a few questions, now it’s time to set an intention for your writing. You can have more than one, assuming they don’t contradict one another in any way.
Write down at least one intention. Be as clear and as concise as possible.
Remember that intentions can evolve as you grow and circumstances change. Be open to revisiting and refining your intentions over time. The key here is to ensure that your intention resonates with your heart and mind. You don’t have to share this with anyone, so be honest with yourself about what truly drives you as a writer.
Take Action: Use Your Intention
Now that you’ve set your intention, use it to help set your goals and actions throughout the day:
Start your morning with a positive affirmation that reinforces your intention. Repeat it aloud or write it down as a daily reminder. Let it guide your actions and decisions.
Revisit your intention before each writing session. This could be as simple as reading a note you’ve written or spending a moment thinking about your purpose for the day's writing.
Let your intention guide you in setting specific, achievable goals for the session. This might mean focusing on character development, dialogue, or simply completing a set word count that aligns with your wider goals.
At the end of your session, quickly reflect on how well your writing aligned with your intention. This reflection can inform your approach in future sessions.
At the end of each day, reflect on how your actions aligned with your intention. Celebrate your successes and identify areas for improvement.
Journal Prompt
With each Cultivating the Writer’s Mindset post, I provide a simple statement. Each statement will elicit a thought or emotion. After reading it, take 5-10 minutes to journal about the thoughts and emotions that come to you. If journaling isn’t your thing, then at least sit with your thoughts for a moment. Ask yourself why you reacted the way you did.
Today’s prompt:
Writing is difficult.
Next Week
Coming up next, I’ll share insights into the importance of visualization… spoiler: it’s not your mom’s vision-board process.
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I listened to this! I appreciate the audio editions, but understand that it can be a lot of work to put together. If it's a hassle, I can live without it.