A few weeks ago I sat in on an excellent webinar by Caz Makepeace from Y Travel. The webinar was about building a business out of your blog, and one of the key takeaways for me was to build a vision for what I wanted to achieve. Not unusual, I hear you say. Any marketer worth her salt will tell you that’s a fundamental building block in any business venture. I’ve always traditionally sucked at creating vision. It seems so airy-fairy and pie-in-the-sky. I guess that’s the point. Vision is about striving for something, and the striving should be about action and agency, and making that vision happen.

But what I liked about Caz’s approach was the way she framed how to shape your vision. She suggested an alternative, namely creating a Wouldn’t it be cool if… [insert thing here] list. I did something along those lines a few years ago, but have only been able to tick off a few things from that list. So the time is right, I think, to build my Wouldn’t it be cool if… list.

Drum roll, please.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… I was a featured writer at Adelaide Writers’ Week. Or Ubud Writers’ and Readers’ Festival. I’m not fussed which. Maybe I could do both!

Of course, that means that I must have an actual published book that I’ve written to talk about. Best I get cracking. My Father’s Wife won’t write itself.

(As an aside, I am taking myself off for micro writing retreats on a Saturday and/or Sunday. I write best and copiously if I’m not at home. For some reason, my brain snaps into creative mode once I am in an unfamiliar environment.)

Wouldn’t it be cool if… I became a Writer in Residence somewhere.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… My Father’s Wife was turned into a movie.

See above. And if anyone is keen, I already have the screenplay written.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… Tom Hardy was signed to play one of the characters.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… I was given an honorary doctorate for my contribution to literature.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… I was able to earn enough from my book sales and speaking engagements to write full-time.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… I was in demand as a teacher of creative writing. Or non-fiction. I could seriously teach both.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… I got to travel to far off places to promote my books.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… my books won literary prizes.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… because of my travel blog, I got paid to review hotels and trips and tours and airlines and resorts and stuff.

Note to self: keep blogging. Don’t ever stop.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… because of my blogging, I was asked to write a regular column for a cool and prestigious newspaper. Or online paper. Like The Guardian.

See above. And I’d better start pitching.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… I got to do a Ted talk. Or TEDx. I’m not actually that fussed which.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… because of my blogging, I was a regular guest on a cool and prestigious radio show. Or podcast.

See above.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… because of the work I do in literacy, young people received scholarships to go to university.

I need to start volunteering.

Wouldn’t it be cool if… because of the work I did with disenfranchised youth in creative writing, young people stayed out of jail.

See above.

I pledge to keep adding to this list. And striving to do all these cool, wonderful things.

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