I was daydreaming instead of editing the other day and wondered about the wide world of marketing. Mainly, I was thinking to myself, I wish I had a symbol, like Batman or McDonald’s where I could be seen and immediately recognized. Granted, I think that if I last another 60 years or so and stick to a symbol, I can make that happen. Alas, I will have to spell out my name…le sigh.
In my imaginarium, I began thinking of tattoos. Weird, I know. But I am an avid fan of tattoos, the art they portray symbolizing the milestones or feelings in a person’s life at a given point. I thought, if I could become a full-time author, what would be a tattoo speaking to my profession?
I finally came back with an arrow. I’m not bandwagoning the Hunger Games in this notion. As authors, we are essentially preparing to shoot arrows at a target. The arrows are our stories. However we succeed is judged on where it lands ahead of us. We have to take careful preparations and practice to get to the bullseye, but when we do, each one after gets easier to hit.
So, as an author/archer, the first time is always the hardest. You have to adjust to the pull of your bow (the mechanics of writing, editing, flow, content, audience), take aim at your target (the goal you want to see, literary agents, marketing) and eventually you have to let go and see where you land. If you are lucky, you hit close to your intended spot. The more and more you practice and try, whether short stories or novels, the easier it will become.
I consider this a fair analogy. And because of that, with every published book I will get an arrow tattoo with the name of my work down the shaft. Now that it’s out there in the world, it’s bound to happen. 🙂
Go out and shoot your own arrows, no matter your profession. Just have a goal in mind and focus on what you want. Keep in mind that for any arrow to go forward, it must first go backwards. So never think because you are taking a few steps back, getting pushed back or falling back that you can’t launch further and faster because of it.
NaNoWriMo: 8275 (unfortunately, editing is taking up this month so actual writing is limited)
Jonas Lee 