We often talk about writing being “a journey” and today I’m going to double down on that rhetoric and talk about waypoints.

You probably know what a waypoint is, but in case you don’t, they are “a place between major points on a route.” When you drive to your grandparents’ house or you go on vacation, waypoints are the places you stop to get gas or eat. Typically we pick those stops because they help us get to where we’re going. They refuel us in some way. Or, in the days before Google Maps, a waypoint helped indicate that a traveler was on the right path. People navigated by waypoints.

We can apply the same navigational principle of using waypoints to map our writing journey.

Where do you want to go?

The first thing to get straight is where you’re going.

I’m going to use teenage me as an example. I knew I wanted to be a published author and that I wanted to write young adult books. (Only I thought I’d invented the genre. It’s fine to laugh.) So, for our purposes today, I would say my ultimate destination was “getting a YA book published.”

Now, obviously, my journey as a writer didn’t end once I got published, so technically “getting a YA book published” was a waypoint, not a destination. But that first book contract marked the end of my unpublished days, same as “getting married” and “having a baby” mark the end of being single or being childless, yet have new beginnings baked into them. You’re looking for the destination that’s so big, you’ll have to get a new map once you arrive.

What’s that next big destination on your writing horizon? The dream you’re chasing? Maybe it’s getting traditionally published, like in my example. Maybe it’s self-publishing. Maybe it’s finishing your novel or your series. That’s where we’re trying to build a map to go.

Do you see others doing this already?

While no two writers travel the exact same path, looking at others who have already arrived where you’re trying to go and learning from them is a smart move. If I want to go to Venice and I learn somebody else has already been there, you better believe I’m asking them all the questions.

In my early days of being an aspiring writer, I didn’t know any other writers. I started buying books on how to be a writer because I didn’t have any other resources. These days, there are sooooooo many resources for writers. So many good, FREE resources. If you need help finding resources, here’s a post I wrote in August, What Should A Writer Spend Money On? (And What Should They NOT?)

If you want to be a bestselling author, then look at the bestsellers in your genre. How long have those authors been writing? Who publishes their books? Are there common elements in their stories that you can identify?

If you want to self-publish your poetry collection, talk to others who have done so. What worked? What didn’t?

The authors who are already doing what you want to be doing are NOT your competition. They’re proof that what you’re dreaming of is possible. Go to their website, follow them on social media, buy their books. Learn from them!

Where are you now and where did you start?

Every journey has a beginning. Maybe that’s where you are. Maybe you’re just now falling in love with writing and realizing storytelling matters to you.

Or maybe you’ve known for years that you love to write, and you’ve written several beginnings of books.

Wherever you are, acknowledge where that is before you proceed to the next question!

What are all the waypoints between here and your goal?

You probably have an idea already that if you want to publish a book/be a bestseller/insert-your-goal-here, then you need to do a number of things to get there. Here are some ideas of waypoints that might be on your list:

• Finish your draft
• Edit your novel
• Find a critique partner
• Go to a writers conference
• Learn about marketing and pitching copy (the back cover, query letters, etc.)
• Research literary agents
• Buy your own computer
• Create a website
• Develop an email list
• Learn how to format a book
• Get a degree in business/marketing
• Pitch to agents and/or editors.

Sometimes this kind of list helps me and other times it feels overwhelming. If you start hyperventilating as you’re making the list, then maybe pause and put it away. The purpose for making that list is being able to answer the next two questions:

What would be helpful for you to learn?

Food is important to me. If you ever travel with me, you will learn that I care deeply about food, coffee, and clean bathrooms. So if I’m planning a road trip somewhere, and I see that I’m going to pass through a city during the lunch hour, I invest a little time researching good food options. Because when I’m there, I don’t want to miss my chance for eating uniquely good food.

The value of making the above list is knowing, “Someday I’ll need to pitch my stories to agents and editors,” and then being able to take advantage of opportunities as they organically arise.

This might mean signing up for a business communications or public speaking class when it’s offered to you. Or when your friend asks what your book is about, training yourself to use that moment to tell him the same way you would an agent or editor so you can learn from his response. If you know “pitching my novel” is a waypoint you’ll someday reach, you’ll spot ways to start preparing yourself now.

What waypoint makes the most sense as your next stop?

You know where you are. You (maybe) know where you want to end up, and you’ve spent time listing potential waypoints between here and there.

Which ones make the most sense to move toward first?

My teenage self wanted to be a published YA author, but I had never completed a first draft that was book-length. That became the waypoint I headed for. I didn’t need to be sending out query letters or figuring out how to set up a store on my website. I needed to focus on finishing my first draft. And then I needed to focus on editing my first draft.

There might be some waypoints that are nested so close to each other, you’re pursuing both at the same time. Like when I went to my first big writers conference, I was also looking for critique partners and pitching my book to agents. Some waypoints are more efficient stops than others!

What do you feel is your next waypoint? And, if you’re doing NaNoWriMo, please let us know in the comments!

Stephanie Morrill writes books about girls who are on an adventure to discover their unique place in the world. She is the author of several contemporary young adult series, as well as two historical young adult novels, The Lost Girl of Astor Street and Within These Lines. Within These Lines was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, as well as a YALSA 2020 Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Since 2010, Stephanie has been encouraging the next generation of writers at her website, GoTeenWriters.com, which has been on the Writer’s Digest Best Websites for Writers list since 2017. She lives in the Kansas City area, where she loves plotting big and small adventures to enjoy with her husband and three children. You can connect with Stephanie and learn more about her books at StephanieMorrill.com, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.