Do you have a mission statement? If you work for an organisation, there is probably one embedded somewhere in the ethos and culture of your daily life – or possibly even printed in bold on a wall somewhere. Way back in 2012, I wrote my own – the aim was to focus my attention and realise the point of being a writer, for me.

mission

Recently, writer and broadcaster David Berner got in touch with me and asked if he could use my mission statement as an exemplar in a piece he was writing. Obviously I was thrilled, not only that he thought my author statement so worthy, but also because it jolted me into going back and revisiting it myself!

Here is what I found:

I write stories to entertain and offer a temporary escape into another life. I create interesting characters who may linger with the reader long after she’s finished the story. I write about characters who learn to examine their lives – their motivations, their hopes and fears – and find the courage to change. I write about the important stuff, but with a light touch. I write about the four Ls: life, love, loss and lies – including the lies we tell ourselves. And yes, I want to change the world. A little tiny bit of it, anyway.

It’s fascinating to discover that, after 4 and a half years, my ‘mission’ has not changed one bit. Even though since the day I wrote that post I have changed direction many times, studied for a Masters, written in different genres, seen lots of changes in self-publishing and publishing in general, and been through many personal challenges that have changed me as a writer, I still have EXACTLY the same feeling about my writing practice and what I want it to achieve.

You can read David’s post about mission statements here – it’s well worth a look. What I’d love to know is, do you have one? Are you inspired to have a stab at writing one now? And if you did, would you print it out on a big sheet of paper and stick it to your wall, instead of leaving it to languish until some awesome person from the other side of the pond gets in touch and says, Hey …