Writing Success – Know Your Intent

Updated February 2026

Intent is a crucial factor in success. But what exactly does this mean?

According to Merriam-Webster, intent is an aim, a clear and “formulated or planned intention.” It is a purpose, “the act or fact of intending.”

Intent is a necessary factor on any path to success, including your path to writing success. You need to know what you want, what you’re striving for. And that knowledge has to be clearly defined.

An unclear destination or goal is like being on a path with low-hanging branches, an assortment of rocks that may hinder your forward movement. Add to that, uneven and rugged terrain, branches and even logs strewn across the road; you get the idea. You step over the debris and look around or through the branches; you don’t have a clear view of where you’re going.

A clear-cut goal is akin to walking on a smooth, clear path. There are NO goal-related obstacles to hinder your forward momentum or vision.

But let me add to the sentence above: while intent is crucial, it’s an active and passionate pursuit of your intent that will actually allow you to achieve success. It reminds me of a passage in the Bible at James 24:26, “Faith without works is dead.” While the intent is there, if you don’t actively take the needed steps to get from A to B, walk the walk rather than just talk the talk, you’ll never reach your goal.

To realize your intent, it would be beneficial for you to create a list of questions and statements outlining its specifics.

A few questions you might include are:

– What is your ultimate success goal?
– What does the attainment of your goal mean?
– After picturing it, what does success look like to you?
– How will you reach your goal?

So, how would you answer these questions?

As a children’s writer, your goal is to write for one or two major magazines. Or you may want to be published in a number of smaller magazines. Perhaps you want to author a book a year and have them published by traditional publishing houses. On the flip side, you may want to self-publish your own books at a faster pace.

You may feel that success is to make a comfortable living, or you may be very happy with simply supplementing your income. Maybe you want to be a professional, sought-after ghostwriter or editor. Maybe you want to be a coach, a speaker, offer workshops, or present webinars. These are some of the potential goals for a writer.

Whatever your vision of success is, you need to see it clearly, write it down (it’d be a good idea to create a vision board), and take the necessary steps to get you where you want to be.

If you find you have a realistic success vision, and are taking the necessary steps to achieve your envisioned intent, at least you think you are, but you still can’t seem to reach the goal, then perhaps your efforts aren’t narrowly focused enough. Maybe your vision of success is too broad. Wanting to be a writer is a noble endeavor, but it’s a very broad target, like shooting a shotgun rather than shooting a rifle. With a shotgun, you may hit a broader target, but it won’t be with the effectiveness and direct force of a single shot aimed at one focused target.

Try narrowing down and fine-tuning your goal. Remember, it’s essential to be specific and focused.

It might be to your advantage to create success steps that continually move you forward on the path to reaching your ultimate writing goal.

For someone new to writing, the first step in a writing career would be to learn the craft of writing. Give yourself a year or two to join writing groups, take advantage of writing workshops or classes, write articles, or create short stories. You should also be part of at least one critique group. This would be your first step to achieving your intent, your success vision.

Instead of trying to go directly from A to B, it might be more effective to go from A to A1 to A2 to A3… to B. But, again, for each step, the intent, a clear-cut vision, and the driving passion all need to be front and center.

I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter/editor, and coach. I can help turn your story into a book you’ll be proud to be author of, one that’s publishable and marketable.

OTHER HELP I OFFER:

HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK
A 200+ book that will help you write your own children’s book.

FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN eCOURSE
4, 8, or 12 Weeks / 9 Sections / Instructor Guided Self-Study Program

WRITERS ON THE MOVE SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICE
Self-publishing help for children’s authors (picture books and chapter books)

You can contact me at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com.

MORE ON WRITING FOR CHILDREN

Writing – 6 Essential Steps to Publication
Writing with Focus
Submitting Queries – Be Specific and Professional