Friday, November 1, 2013

The Writer's Secret

As a writer, sometimes we feel it will never happen for us. The thrill of seeing our name on a book or embracing the coveted prize. Sometimes we rationalize or make excuses why we're not achieving our goal. Publishing is fixed, you have to be a celebrity, you have to have connections, you have to have a platform, etc.

We look at other successful authors and may hammer our chest in frustration. Why them? Why not me? Is it they have a better social presence, have advanced degrees, are better self-promoters or are lucky? They may have all or some of those things, but that’s not the reason why it’s them and not us.

The secret to their success is they don’t give up. They are persistent and hard working, writing and revising as many times as it takes. Some authors wake up and write before they go to work, others write late into the night, others squeak out 15 minutes a day, sometimes the writing is put before family and most always before chores. 

If your writing is important to you, then spend time writing. It is the only way to hone your craft and increase your chances of being a successful author. 

Consider this: Quitting out of frustration doesn't make it any easier for the dogged writers, but it does make the path less crowded.

What is something you wish to obtain that will only happen with hard work?

2 comments:

  1. Great post, Valerie. You've inspired me to get back to the keyboard this morning and stay there until I've hit my word count. All the best for your own writing, too.

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  2. Awww, thank you! I'm working on a short story right now.

    Good luck to you on hitting your goal for today and all the tomorrows to come. Persistence is key!

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