Contrary to what some writers will say, there is a secret formula to good writing.
How do you become a good writer?
Write every day – “If you work out with weights for fifteen minutes a day over a course of 10 years, you’re gonna get muscles. If you write for an hour and a half a day for 10 years, you’re gonna turn into a good writer.” – Stephen King, ON WRITING.
Read every day – How can you learn what editors are buying if you don’t study what they’ve already bought?
Never stop learning your craft – A good writer never passes up an opportunity to learn from another professional. Writing is like any other profession, conferences and classes are available. Always be willing and eager to learn.
Revision – revise your work 6 to 10 times before you submit it anywhere.
The secret to becoming a successful writer is persistence.
You will see a lot of rejection as a writer. It’s part of the business and it’s unavoidable. Remember that this is a business and no rejection is ever personal.
“Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common that unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge.
The secret to becoming a well paid writer is lots of submissions.
The more you submit the less those individual rejections mean and the more chances you have of selling your work.
Most writers never submit their work. So, if you’re one of the brave, the tiny minority who has actually submitted your work and received a rejection letter, celebrate your accomplishment. That rejection letter is your membership ticket into a very exclusive club, populated by the likes of:
Louis L’Amour – received 350 rejections before making his first sale.
John Grisham – received rejections from 15 publishers and 30 agents on his first novel A TIME TO KILL before he self published it and subsequently sold his book to a traditional publishing house.
Jack London – received 600 rejections before he sold his first story.
Mary Higgins Clark – received 40 rejections before making her first sale.
The secret to success is hard work, belief in yourself and persistence. Never give up.
