Vision Casting

Last week, we discussed the epiphany of having an author business plan. Today is about vision casting,^[1] and I've actually been avoiding writing this particular blog. What I'm writing is not anything I haven't already thought of. There has been countless midnight after the kids go to bed discussions with my wife where we have talked about all of this stuff I'm going to share with you today. This is private stuff. Soul-searing stuff—dreams and hopes of a not yet reality. A reality I am unsure if will actually manifest. The following eleven points encapsulate my personal vision cast.

1. I want my novels sitting on actual brick and mortar bookstore shelves.
2. I want to publish and work closely with, but not necessarily edit a well-respected literary journal.
3. I want a house with two barns & a guest cottage
4. I want to provide writer in residence programs and utilize the cottage on my property for this purpose where an author can reside rent free and most meals provided while he or she crafts art.
5. One of the barns I want to convert to a radio and video broadcast studio where I can produce online training courses for writers.
6. The other barn I want to host writing conferences, workshops, and classes.
7. I want to purchase an Espresso Book Machine and publish independent titles that would be distributed to indie bookstores only.
8. I want to open my own bookstore/coffee shop and host nationally known authors on live radio.
9. I want to teach fiction writing and literature at the university level.
10. I want a personal assistant.
11. I want a team of enthusiastic, passionate people around me

Why eleven points? Why not ten or five or fifteen? I don't know. I simply wrote down what I wanted my future to look like; what I wanted my career to be. Who I wanted to be.

I believe writing is not just a job; not just something one does in his or her spare time as a hobby. I believe writing is a lifestyle. Writing is about how I want to live my life. It's how I want to contribute to the greater world around me. Coming from this perspective, my author business plan will probably look considerably different than the plan I created for the pizza shop.

Obviously, this vision is my vision and highly personal. You may not relate to any of the stuff on the list. You might think I'm crazy. That's okay because this blog is about the process of casting your vision. To create your own vision cast, imagine yourself five, ten years out into the future. What do you want that future to look like? Write it down.

Next week, we'll look at some of my immediate realities. That is, what I want need to accomplish now.

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^[1]Vision casting is normally done by church pastors. The pastor and his/her team communicate their goals for the church to the congregation. Often times, vision casting is couched in terms of what God wants for the church. The vision is sometimes far flung into the future.

[2] Photo credit: http://xn3ctz.deviantart.com/gallery/