By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Our writing careers are met with victories, successes, challenges, rejections, and lots of writing time in between. One way to stay encouraged and focused is to create a Writer’s Adventure List, those things that are personal, achievable, and unique to every writer.

Writers are motivated to begin their careers—

• To create a story that others will enjoy
• To make extra money to supplement their income
• To fulfill a spiritual calling
• To satisfy a curiosity
• To compete with what they feel can be improved on what is being published
• To use writing as a springboard to achieve other successes

The above reasons to write are noble and worth the hours of hard work, but a Writer’s Adventure List makes the process personal.

What kind of items thrill you as a writer? These are specific hopes and dreams—

• To see your name and book title on a Bestsellers List
• To learn your book has been nominated for a highly coveted award
• To discover your book will be made into a movie
• To use the proceeds to fund a charity
• To plan a vacation for yourself and/or loved ones that might not otherwise be affordable
• To teach writing at conferences
• To experience the admiration of others who treasure your writing
• To feel your career has impacted others for good

How does a writer discover those personal gems that make for an incredible adventure?

1. List those aspirations that could only be achieved by a successful writer. *Note success is defined by the writer.
2. List the special, personal, thoughts that make you smile when you think about your writing life.
3. List the items from above that make your Writing Bucket worth the work and sacrifices needed to achieve a goal.

What about you? Do you have special hopes and aspirations for a writing adventure?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, the Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, an active member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, BookBub, YouTube, LinkedIn. or her website: diannmills.com