Thursday, October 25, 2007

CAN YOU HANDLE WRITING SUCCESS?

Here's what many writers have in common--they've learned to handle being aspiring writers, struggling writers, even failing writers.

But they need to take the next step and learn to handle being successful writers. To do this they (and you and I) need to do three things:

1/ Write. Write a lot, the actual putting-words-on-paper writing, not just the thinking-about-it writing.

2/ Improve and learn. Take active steps to make your writing better. This could be taking a good writing class, forming a supportive writing group, or hiring a writing coach.

3/ Submit your work. If you want to get published you have to make your work available to the editors who might buy it. Your great short story or essay in that desk drawer has zero chance of getting published.

4. And the extra, bonus, step. Don't give up. There's nothing easier than giving up, and few things more bitter than failure.