Imagine you’re on a baseball team. Half of the kids on the team think that the team’s goal is to have fun. The other half of the kids on the team think that the goal is to win games.

If that’s the case, chances are that you’re on a team that is neither fun nor winning any games. It won’t take long for your teammates to be very frustrated with each other. Everybody loses.

Part of the job of a team’s coach, any team really, is to make sure that everyone shares the same mission. The whole team needs to be pointed in the right direction.

The team really can’t answer a question like “What’s the right decision?” until they know the mission.

“It’s really hot, should we end practice early and go eat popsicles?” Well, if you think the mission is to have fun, the answer is yes. If you think the mission is to win baseball games, then the answer is no.

“The right thing” depends on the mission.

This is a conversation that Vella Karman and I had many times during the production of Fantastical Summer. (Which, I might add, is now available for pre-order on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3H69tUR)

Vella managed the book from start to finish. When she came to a crossroads and had to make a difficult decision, I would ask her, “What’s the mission for this book?” When she was forced to recall the mission, usually the best answer became clear.

James 1 talks about a person who isn’t clear on his mission. It’s about a man that is asking for wisdom from God but also doubting, and it says, “He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)

Double-minded means to want two things at the same time. This is also how I define “internal conflict” in writing. A person with an internal conflict wants two things at the same time, in such a way that he cannot have both.

That divided baseball team is inside of you, and you’re the coach.

Here’s the thing: A team that only wants to have fun might work really well together and actually win games. By the same token, a team that dedicates itself to winning games might end up having a good time.

But you have to choose one way or the other.

A “mission statement” is simply stating what your mission is. “Our mission on this baseball team is to make friends and have fun.”

I set mission statements in my head all the time. Even for little things. It makes my life so much easier.

If I need to fix something around the house, is my mission to get it done efficiently, to teach one of my kids how to do it, or to let all my kids participate and have fun? Different circumstances require a different mission. By deciding ahead of time, I don’t have to feel bad if I tell my kids they can’t help today. Or I don’t have to feel bad if I let them help but it’s not done perfectly.

Do you have a mission statement for your writing?

It’s very easy to be double-minded with our writing.

We kind of want to become a professional published author. But we also kind of just want to have fun and express ourselves. We also want to make friends.

Just like the baseball team, if you pick one thing, there’s a good chance you might end up accomplishing some of the other things too. But if you don’t pick, you’ll have an internal conflict and you’ll be frustrated.

Just as Jesus said, “…every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25)

“Should I go to this writing conference?” There’s no right answer to that question unless you know what the mission is. (For what it’s worth, conferences are a great way to have fun and make friends with your writing, but don’t actually help much with getting published—despite what the organizers may claim.)

“Should I follow this system for organizing a novel or just write what I want?” Again, there’s no right answer unless you know what your mission is.

I encourage you to prayerfully craft your mission statement for your writing.

There can’t be any ANDs in it either. “I want to do this AND this AND this.” You get one thing.

What is the one most important thing you want to accomplish with your writing? Other good things may happen too, but when push comes to shove, what are you here for? What’s most important to you?

There’s no wrong answer. Be honest. It’s okay to just write for fun. It’s also okay to really want to get paid to do this.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.

What you decide is not forever. It needs to be wet cement—permanent enough that we won’t change it just because our mood changed or things got hard. But your mission will evolve and update from time to time in your life. I know mine has.

If you’re single minded, I think you can accomplish anything. But as James says, a double-minded man “should not assume that he will receive anything.”

What’s your mission for your writing?

P.S. Don’t miss The Company’s Novel Challenge which starts on June 2! Get all of the details and join a cohort here: https://writers.company/resources/the-company-novel-challenge/

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