A Writer’s Mission Statement

A personal mission statement for a writer is different from an organization’s vision. It’s a promise that you make to yourself directed towards a goal of representing you to your audience.

It helps you focus on the core values you have and guides you through your career path of the author you will be. You may think of it as a goal-setting tool that helps you develop a vision for your future that you apply daily in small increments.

The only way you can realize the effects of your personal statement is by writing it down. Consider this one small step towards your ultimate goal.

Here, I will give you guidelines for writing one and a worksheet to direct you through the process. But hey, I know you’re a creative and trust you to make it yours.

Your Vision, Who You Are as a Creative

Determine what, which you’re passionate about. This is the driving force that energizes you to write. You may have an idea about what that is, and now is the time to define it. Begin by writing it down to make it real.

Now it’s time to start thinking of you as the author you will be. This is why you are writing. Lay the groundwork now, early in your career.

Use your prep time to drill down to the very core of your passions and beliefs you hold at the start of your journey. This will provide you guideposts along your way in your career.

Your Core Values

Your core values guide your writing from which you do not deviate because it comes from your inner motivations. They intertwine with your passions. As a result, they steer you in your writing, from your book to content choices you make on social media. They’ll have a consistent theme, voice, to them that will carry over and be recognizable.

These core values permeate what you create, and they may operate more on a subconscious level. Still, we can make a conscious effort to understand them. When you write these down, you promise yourself to follow these on your career path.

These principles help and influence you in deciding the kind of impact you want to have on your audience. What they think of when they see your name, read your social media, or any work you put out into the world. So, what are your core values?

The Impression You Make

You may not realize that people on social media have already formed an idea about you. Whether you like it or not, people have a notion about you. Is it the correct one?

This is where you take charge of that.

What impressions are you making to the audience you serve. That’s right, the audience you serve. Think about that. You’re writing a mission statement to understand you as a writer, the author to be, to serve your audience.

Because in time, people will come to expect, “The You,” they have experienced. Your vision, passions, and values you have will attract people with the same ideals. They become accustomed to your affirmation, and you become part of their digital lives.

An Example- a Mission Statement

I write to entertain, to give readers a peek into another world. I create unique characters that can pull readers into their stories. These characters learn to examine their motivations, their desires, their fears, and weaknesses. They muster the courage to change for the better by the end of the story. Above all, I hope the characters will live on in the reader’s mind after the book is finished.

A mission statement dosen’t need to come to you all at once. Add and take away certain parts over time. I would say a good mission statement grows with you as your career progresses.

Time to Craft Your Own Mission Statement

Your mission statement is something that’s an exercise, not to be done with and put away. It will take you some effort to look within and write it down.

As you collect and build on the words that will be contained within your statement of mission, keep in mind where you are today with your sight stretched to the future. Think of the writer you are now and the author you will be.

Key Factors to Consider

First, look at the social media of authors that write in your genre. Write down the words that come to mind as you look over their social platforms. Can you guess what their mission might be? Write that down as well.

Consider yourself, what core values keep you writing. Put everything down you can. Go overboard on this. List all words, phrases, keywords, and ideas.

Next, combine these two lists of qualities. Select the words that resonate with you and list them in order of importance. Condense them down into categories until they are concise.

Now put your mission statement together. Begin by writing, with the concise words and phrases you wrote in the above exercise and work them into sentences. Aim for two to seven sentences.

The Pep Talk

You see, once you begin to understand and have a clear picture of what drives you, you can use it in all you create. This attracts people of similar qualities. Think of the authors you read and the social media you follow. Why do you do that? There’s been an impression made, some bonding that has taken place, and some values shared. You see that you are your audience, and your audience is you. Build a mission statement that honors both.

Keep your mission statement concise. Sum it up in a few sentences. It’s as simple as that. A personal statement of you, the writer, the author, is to be brief. Yet portray all that you wish to share with those attracted to you. In other words, you’re stuffing ten-pounds into a five-pound bag. But, you’re the writer, come-on, you can do it.