As writers, we all have real goals, like publish X amount of books a year or finish book three by next March. Things that are very tangible and very practical. I can rattle off a few of my real goals: I want to publish book three of the Ingenious Mechanical Devices series in a timely manner (aka within a year), start my fantasy series soon after or while working on book three, and to get my thesis proposal accepted in April.
Then, there are goals that are a little less… professional? I think we all have the secret desire that our books will be made into movies or that certain characters will be loved by all. Here are a few of my own silly goals:
- Have enough books out to make a charm bracelet of my covers. I currently have a bracelet with tiny versions of my favorite books, and one day I would like to have enough books out to make a bracelet of my covers. Currently, I only have two, so it would be a very sad bracelet if I made it now.
- Fan art. I love artwork of my characters. I have had several commissions done of Adam, Immanuel, Eilian, and Hadley, but I would love to get fan art from readers.
- Fan fiction. It’s the same idea as fan art. Some writers don’t like fan fiction, but if a reader writes about your characters, they care about them, and it shows that they are looking for more adventures from them.
- Mini series. Note: I did not say movie. It always seems that movies get it wrong, but mini series, like those on HBO, PBS, ITV, or BBC seem to do a pretty good job. My work probably is not racy enough for HBO or Starz, but I would be completely content with PBS or ITV.
- A theme song. This may seem odd, but I tend to make playlists in my head to go along with my books. Thus far, the best theme song I have heard that would work with the Ingenious Mechanical Devices series is Nightwish’s “The Last of the Wilds”
That’s about it I think. So do you have any “silly” goals for your writing?
Kara Jorgensen 
Oh, man. As soon as I read your miniseries item above I realized I really really want a BBC miniseries of my Hastily Dobbs mysteries (once they’re out). I literally got chills at the idea.
I’ve entertained the hope/idea that they might become movies, but to see what the BBC does with them? Mind. Blown.
Seriously, they make some really, really awesome series. I love Ripper Street, the Jane Eyre two-part series, the Jane Austen ones, and of course, Sarah Waters’ Tipping the Velvet. I’d definitely want BBC over a movie, which would probably butcher the plot for the sake of marketing and time.
Yeah. I think it would be tons of fun to see what a filmmaker did with my books, but I’m already girding myself up to completely let go of artistic ownership etc. if I ever get a movie deal. Except insofar as they’re willing to let me consult, of course.
Have you seen Saving Mr. Banks? The lady who wrote Mary Poppins had control issues, and I really can’t blame her. In the contract, I would want to be kept on as a consultant.
I haven’t, though it sounds interesting. For some reason, despite being a total purist in a lot of areas, I’m very willing to view movies of books as a separate medium and, in a pinch, basically a different story. So I’m not one of those who gets all huffy about poorly adapted movies. It remains to be seen whether I could be that cavalier in practice about an adaptation of my own books that doesn’t match my vision, but that’s why I’m practicing the attitude in advance :]
Lol, exactly. I would be a bit more uppity if it was my work, especially if it went the way of Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, which was HORRIBLE and nothing like the book at all.
I think my only unreal expectation when it comes to writing is having enough money to buy a big house so I can have a library. And I mean a wing in a manor. I want a massive library with millions of books. That’s my unreal desire.
That and never working again!
For now, I’ll be happy getting an agent and getting that first novel published!
As a published author, did you look for representation or go for indie? What would you recommend?
Lovely post, I’ll make sure to come back and also get your books, they sound awesome 🙂
I would love to never work again and have a manor fit for Downton Abbey, but I’m willing to settle for a moderately sized home with enough room for lots of bookshelves.
I self-published. Part of me wanted to go the traditional route, but times are changing and indie publishing offers me more freedom. It seems now that agents and publishers are sometimes more willing to take a look at you if you are a successful indie author.
Thank you by the way for taking a look at my books and website =) I greatly appreciate it. Good luck with your writing and if you have any questions about indie publishing, feel free to ask and I will try to answer to the best of my ability.