10 Things About the Writing Life
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When I do interviews or panel discussions, someone always asks what advice I would give to other writers. So I decided to put together my list of 10 things I’d tell someone about writing or the writing life.
Do not give up. If you want to be published, be persistent. Keep writing.
Turn off the TV (or phone or Internet surfing) and write.
Work on your craft. Learn as much as you can about your genre and writing. You need to know about the writing conventions that readers expect.
Learn about the publishing industry and the business of books. (It’s ever-changing.)
Find yourself a writing group. Writing and editing are solitary. You need to be around other writers to share celebrations and disappointments. I learn so much from my writer friends who are generous with their time and advice.
Writing/publishing books is a business. You need to treat it as such. Be professional.
Learn all you can about book marketing and promotion. It’s often harder than writing the book.
If you get stuck, don’t give up. Do something to get your creative energy back.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Learn from mistakes or from something that didn’t go well and then move on. Don’t get stuck wallowing in self-pity. It’s a mire that’s hard to get out of.
You will doubt yourself and your choices. It happens to everyone. Set goals and look for ways to improve. Don’t get stuck in the pit of self-doubt.
What would you add to my list? I wish I’d known this in my teens and twenties when I started dabbling with writing.
