The very first thing to do to become a ‘writer’ is to Get Serious about Writing. Getting Serious about writing is not as easy as it’s often made out to be. To achieve success of any kind as a writer we need to have a toolbox and talent. Within that toolbox of writing besides the ‘normal’ tools of grammar, language, punctuation, etc. We need some other elements which a lot of budding writers sometimes forget. These are factors which cannot be ignored.
We must be committed, honest, consistent, determined, and professional.
COMMITTED
To achieve ‘success’ within writing, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, there is one aspect all popular authors agree on: you have to get serious about writing. Popular authors will say they are sick of hearing how this or that person started writing what they were sure would be the ‘next big thing’…but never finished. Or how this or that job-child-spouse-name your poison-got in the way of their writing career.
As far as my personal dedication to the craft of writing, my dad, with whom I was extremely close, died during the writing of Uromastyx (Complete Herp Care)
*Affiliate link my first nonfiction book. The editor was willing to give me an extension on the deadline. I refused. I still came in under the deadline by at least a month.
If something gets in the way of your writing, then you don’t want it bad enough and aren’t serious enough. I have read about professional authors actually saying to people they were speaking with about writing and excuses ‘maybe you shouldn’t start.’ In the Harlan Ellison: Dreams with Sharp Teeth
If you begin writing as a hobby and treat it as such, then those are the results you will achieve. You’ll work when you want, how you want, and the quality will be lacking because, after all, it’s just a hobby. If you’re serious about writing and treat it like a business, then you will achieve success. Will you be the next Stephen King, David Quammen, Harlan Ellison, or J.R.R. Tolkien? Chances are, no.Think of it this way, writers are like actors in Hollywood. Starving writers are a dime a dozen. Most popular writers today spent the greater part of their life hammering out their chapters and slogging through day jobs until they were ‘discovered.’ One thing connects every one of them. Do you know what that is?
They never gave up!
CONSISTENT
After two decades of writing and a decade of actually trying to write seriously, I still maintain a full time day job. Having a day job supports my family until such a time when my publishing can support us. You may ask yourself at this point ‘Why should I listen to someone who’s not making a living off of writing?’ There is a simple fact that seems to elude most of us and that is consistency. That one word is what separates a successful writer from one who is not successful. For every article I publish, I make a weeks worth of my day job pay. For my first book, I made two months worth of my day job pay. The real trick is getting those articles and manuscripts sold. If you’re not able to consistently sell pieces then you’re not ready to quit that day job.
So unless you’re Stephen King or David Quammen, you’ll need to keep that day job for awhile to keep yourself in ink and paper.
DETERMINED
There are hundreds if not thousands of ‘Quit your job now and write full time’ blogs, books, etc. Some of the techniques touted work, but what if they don’t? Are you prepared for that reality? I would venture to say most of us aren’t. If you want to quit your day job, I’d have a minimum of one year’s salary saved and set aside. Because as any writer would tell you – well any writer who’s not trying to get you to buy their book on successful writing, it’s feast or famine, and it’s usually more of the latter.
HONEST AND PROFESSIONAL
Be honest in every single word you say. Be very conscious because what you put out into the world of writing is a direct reflection on you and your potential success. If you put out something about on Twitter for example that might be offensive to someone, then guess what? You offended someone. Publishers, editors, and many others besides your fans read those things. In the vein of honesty you have to exercise some control at the same time. If every time I see something from you complaining about how you got another rejection or that your spouse thinks writing is pipe dream, I’m not going to keep reading. Plain and simple, I don’t care about what you ate for dinner, what the children did to get in the way of your writing, etc. In the coming weeks, I will tell you about what I have done, the tools I use, as well as the success I’ve enjoyed and even the failures and fears I’ve faced. I look forward (I think) to sharing this journey with you and I hope you’ll learn from both my mistakes and my success. I would also like to hear your stories, so I may learn as well.