Writing Advice #1 – Questions to Ask Yourself First

Yes, yes, I know.  I’ve said throughout this blog that I’m never going to tell people what to do.  Well, starting now, I am.

I’d like to help new writers, and short of having a contest on the blog – and we might, as we go along – I decided I had some experience having been in the “business” for 16 years so I might as well share it.

So, here goes, post #1:

So, you want to be a writer.  Good for you!  Being a writer is the most fulfilling, maddening, scary, beautiful job you could have.  Before you poise your fingers over the keyboard, however, here are some questions I’d like you to answer – honestly – to yourself:

• Am I aware that writing will probably not support me full-time?  (The majority of writers have a “real” job.)
• Am I aware that writing is a long, drawn-out, process?  (Publishers don’t move very fast.  Kind of like watching a glacier melt.)
• Am I aware that publishing is going through a real change right now? (The groaning sound is one you might hear from the Titanic turning.)
• Am I aware that piracy is a real issue?  That people will steal what I sweat blood to write? (Piracy takes about 20% of my time to combat, and I never get all of it.) Edited to add: A friend mentioned that I should specify how much time it takes me each week.  I expect to work 7 days a week, but I give myself 1/2 to 1 day off for good behavior and if I’m on target, goal-wise.  If I’m working 6 days a week, that’s 1.2 days of my time taken up by piracy, and that’s pretty much what it’s been.
• Am I aware that my skin will have to be toughened considerably?  (Reviews and even comments from editors will be brutal at times.)
• Am I willing to give up my weekends and my nights if I’m absolutely determined to be published?  Am I willing to tell friends that I can’t meet with them, or loved ones that we have to make arrangements to get me more writing time?  What am I willing to give up to be successful?

Edited to add:

Forgot two very important points.  In fact, they’re so important I live with them every day:

• Am I willing to continue to learn?  Am I willing to open myself up to criticism, to the realization that I’m a work in progress?  Am I willing to always read, study, and learn about writing?
• Am I willing to never feel as though I’ve completely succeeded, to feel as if the last book was almost there, but not quite?  Am I willing to push myself continually, in an effort to be better than I was the effort before, and before that?

If you’ve answered those questions honestly, then you’re ready to start.