UNLOCKING YOUR TALENT FOR SUCCESSFUL WRITING

Shelia A. Mills



Part One...
Reprogramming Yourself For Success In Writing...

The first thing that we need to do, is to program our minds to think and know that we are indeed true writers. In a matter of speaking, it might be referred to as "reprogramming one's mind"... In this scenario, I will show you how to take out the bad influence, negative thoughts and lack of conviction that you may have experienced, wanting to become a writer.

You and I will start off by putting ourselves in someone else's shoes. Let's call him Joe. Joe wants so very much to be a writer! During his days, he is a blue collared worker, retiring within the next three years, his dream is to become a published author. Now Joe wants this more than anything, though he refers to him-self as a "factory worker"... something he wants to retire from to become more.

Now, there's no shame in being a blue collared worker, my father was one and raised the five of us children incredibly with his hard work, incredible hours of devotion, with my mother's constant help and the love for his family. Now with my mother as his partner, they run a very successful business, something that they had wanted. He is now a business man. He established a career and then desired a change. Well, Joe, like my father knows that he has accomplished a great deal by working his job as a blue collared worker, but wants to be referred to as something different in his future. This isn't going to happen overnight.

What is needed here is a mental transition. What this means, Joe needs to begin responding to his family, friends and acquaintances that when asked what he does for an occupation, he needs to reply with, "I am a writer" knowing that he will soon be retired from the job that paid the bills. He needs this change in identity, for his future and him-self.

One day before vacation when he was at work, his friends ask him "Joe, what do you think that you would like to do with your-self when you retire? What are you going to become then?" Joe thinks about it for a moment and replies with the typical, "I don't know, there's some things that I have kicked around but not really committed to anything yet." A moment of great hesitation and self doubt. Not that he didn't remember that he wanted to become the writer, but for the fact that he may have thought their reaction would be of rejection to the idea, something that he wasn't sure that he could handle.

Maybe, he didn't say that he wanted to become a writer because his commitment was only in his heart and not carved in stone, on a sealed document, not convincing enough for others? Or maybe, just maybe, he didn't say that he wanted to become a writer because of fear of ridicule, rejection and thinking that they might not like his choice, they might not approve. If so, this is the most ridiculous reason ever to be accepted! Who is living Joe's life? Joe is, right? Absolutely! Who is living your life? You are and you will make the choice to follow your own dreams, no matter what sort of plans others think you should follow!

Joe talked with a writer friend that he had been keeping in touch with for a while and that writer told him to run for his dreams not crawl, to commit to him-self first! Not to wait for the approval of others, as we all know that there will always be at least one person who thinks that you have become the world's biggest fool for doing something that they wouldn't do and one who feels as though they are lucky that your words and your talent are a big part of them, a touching of their lives. And all that it takes is the first one to show the admiration and to change your life and way of thinking for the positive, forever. That person is you! But before anything, YOU have to believe in you!

In order to believe in your-self, you have to clear paths from those who tell you that you can't do this! You have to avoid negative feedback from people who don't care and don't believe in what you are going after.

You have to want it, so bad that it consumes periods of your thinking every day, every single day! This friend that Joe had the talk with about his writing assures him to take the seven steps of "Reprogramming Yourself For Success In Writing" and he will be on his way to not only seeing his dreams of publishing to become a reality, but to see that he will become the person that he had always wanted to be.

Joe goes into work the following Monday, punching the time clock as most do and his buddy, George asks him how his weekend was?" He replied to George with, "It was fantastic! I spent most of the weekend talking over my future with a true friend." Joe is learning that it is a person's "true friend" who will support one's dream. This doesn't include those who might be there only when the getting is good. George smirks, "Joe, let me guess, you're going into real estate and become a big tycoon? Or I know, maybe your going to become a pro football star, or one even better, the next President of the country?" Joe confidently looks at him and says, "You know George, I just might