How to Become a Successful Writer

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Now, I suppose I need to define “successful”, right? Surprisingly, to many of you who clicked on this title, I am not talking about commercial success. Although, that may well follow once you are “successful” as delineated in this post.

To explain what successful writing means to me, let me refer you to a recent post I had on another of my blogs. In “Happiness is . . .”  I shared a Gandhi quote that is on a necklace I frequently wear. The quote is: “Happiness is when what you think and what you say and what you do are in harmony.” Alignment of these three elements means you are not conflicted. Conflict is the opposite of harmony.

That’s the point with writing success as well. Writing success is when what you think and what you say and what you do align.

I’ve been in many writing groups over the last few decades. The usual panoply typically presents itself. The groups are peopled by those who are hobby writers and those who are professional writers.

Hobby writers are more diverse than alike, whereas, professional writers tend to share more commonalities with one another than hobby writers share among themselves.

Just to be clear, hobby writers are fine. I am not dissing them or rejecting their right to be the kind of writers they are. Their goals differ from mine, but they are just as valid for them as mine are for me.

The difference isn’t publication. I know hobby writers who publish in small town papers, and I know professional writers who haven’t yet put out that first book. The difference runs deeper than publication.

The problem occurs when hobby writers fool themselves into thinking they are professional writers. They want to be professional writers, they say. They tell themselves and others they are professional writers. They even demonstrate some of the traits of professional writers. But they aren’t, and they are just fooling themselves, not the rest of us.

Does that sound harsh? I don’t mean it to be, but I value honesty in myself and in others. I am a professional writer, and I act like one.

A professional writer has S.M.A.R.T. writing goals. The goals are specific and measureable, attainable and realistic with a timeline for accomplishment and steps along the way. Hobby writers just want to write and appreciate positive feedback from writing group members that don’t require them to put out much effort beyond writing.

A professional writer knows about the business end of writing (record keeping, tax implications, and marketing/promotion) and puts pieces in place, like blogs or twitter accounts as part of their plan. They may not like the business end of it, but they inform themselves and gear up for when they need to enact elements. Hobby writers say they don’t want a “platform.”

A professional writer knows other writers beyond the writing group. Perhaps the person joins affinity groups on Facebook and/or follows particular blogs and interacts with other writers there. Likely they’ve joined local writing groups for professional development. Hobby writers stick to their crit group.

A professional writer views writing as shis job and acts accordingly. That means reading in the field and attending training sessions at a conference of from local writing groups. Perhaps they attend national writing conferences. The professional writer has collected a library of books about the craft of writing. Hobby writers don’t see a need to spend money on materials, registrations, or travel.

A professional writer claims the identity of writer and can explain to others what that means. A hobby writer simply claims the identity. As they say in the South, they are all hat and no cattle. They can’t talk about what it means to be a professional writer because they don’t know what that means and they can’t talk about the steps required to be a professional writer.

A professional writer, most importantly, writes. Must write. Finds time to write. Doesn’t let other things interfere with regular writing (mostly). Having a writing routine means producing more word count than hobby writers if only because professional writers treat writing as a job, not a hobby to be fit in when there’s time. Professional writers show up, consistently, ready to accomplish their work.

Again, hobby writing is fine. But don’t fool yourself. Be honest. And enjoy your hobby writing and sharing of it. Professional writing is no better (or worse) than hobby writing. But knowing for sure which you are, and thinking, acting, and doing the things that make you a hobby writer or professional writer, will ensure that alignment that leads to success. And success as a consistent professional writer will help you attain those S.M.A.R.T. goals.

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Agree? Disagree? Share in the comments below.

If you found this helpful, I’d appreciate a share or two. Thanks so much!

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Facebook: Are you a professional writer or a hobby writer? What’s the difference? Does it matter? Only if you want to be a professional writer. http://bit.ly/2yLUBFp

Twitter: #Writers are either hobby writers or professional writers. Which are you? @Good2Tweat offers some thoughts http://bit.ly/2yLUBFp