For the past couple of years, one of the conventions I’ve been going to is with other authors. It meets in Vegas in November, and that week is filled with classes and random discussions. It always gives me a boost and makes me so much more productive once I’m home, but one of the conversations that always crops up is what the future looks like.
Newbie author? What does working full-time as an author look like to you?
Established author? What does your next step look like?
Kids in college and a backlist? What does the future look like for you?
I’ve always liked playing What If and figuring out what something might look like. On a road trip one time way back before everyone had satellite radios in their car and fancy phones, I planned out surviving the apocalypse with my ex lol.
So planning a happy future for myself isn’t hard.
I’m in my mid-forties right now, so let’s explore what life might look like in ten years.
I want to have a house I had built just for me with a hidden pantry and a slide that goes from the main floor to the basement (or second floor to the first…I’m flexible). I want to have fun vacations every couple of months. And I want to be playing grandma to my son’s kids and driving him nuts. (I might have to be patient on that one, but I can’t wait to see him as a Dad. I’m going to have so much fun making him insane.)
I want to be writing books and playing with new ideas and tropes. I want to still be writing about some of my favorite characters (Wouldn’t it be fun to see what Kevin and Bryan are up to in ten years?) and I want to have written a sci-fi series with new aliens and space adventures.
What do you want to be doing in ten years?
Are you just dreaming or have you started making plans for how to get there?