How to Be a Successful Writer

So, you wanna be a writer, huh?

Well, it takes a lot more than just saying so. In fact, one of the most annoying things you can say to a writer is, “I wanna write a novel too, but I…”

And there you go. Insert some excuse as if us writers have somehow been able to get out of things that would keep regular people from attempting a novel or a collection of poetry or short stories. The excuses range from lack of time to lack of inspiration, from not having anything to say to having too much to say (see my post called “Why I’d Rather Pass a Kidney Stone than Talk about my Writing” where I delve into this phrase further).

But outside of the excuses, what does it take to be a successful writer? Check out these 7 basics you need to master to become a successful writer.

Is this you? Do you *want* it to be you?

What *is* Success?

The word writer, at its simplest definition, means someone who writes. Full stop. But that’s not much to go on, is it?

Technically, anyone can be a writer, and the word is flexible enough to cover a whole range of possibilities: a writer is someone who writes a blog, a writer is someone who writes TV scripts or novels, a writer is someone who writes business reports or those fun little anecdotes at the back of cereal boxes. Lastly, a writer is someone who toils away in their spare time, crafting a collection of words to convey an overall meaning. In theory, unpublished amateurs are also writers.

So, now that we’ve determined that you’re probably a writer (or a potential writer), what does it mean to be a successful writer?

Well, like the definition of writer, the definition of success is equally as fluid. Does success mean simply seeing your work in print? Does success mean becoming a New York Times bestselling author? Does success mean making a livable income off of your work?

Only after deciding what success means to you can you start working toward your goal.

You Must Actually Write

So, you’re a writer now? You’ve decided how you will define success, and you’re ready to go all in. Bad news #1: deciding to write was the easy part.

To be a writer, you must actually write. To have a completed manuscript or poem or article, you need to write it first. And then you need to rewrite it. And then you need to edit it. Writing, like anything, takes work. A lot of work. And the process will be very thankless. I wrote for 8 years without anyone giving a damn, and the only reason I’m here today with my debut novel published is because I was persistent.

You must be persistent too, but that means putting in the time.

Which Witch is Which?

Congrats on *actually* starting to write, and welcome to the land of fruitless labor, blood, sweat, and… paper cuts?

You have now realized that you need to actually put words on the page (or your arm in a pinch), and that’s great, but that’s not enough. How are you at spelling and grammar? Good spelling and grammar is the cornerstone of good writing, and there’s nothing more embarrassing than finding typos in your published work (I may be speaking from personal experience).

Got grammar sorted out? Cool. On to the next thing: how about pacing? How about character development? How about writing a good plot? Writing is so much more than putting words together in a grammatical sense. It’s about creating an atmosphere.

Be Unique, but Be Involved

The hardest thing to do in any industry is to be innovative and unique. Everything has been done before to some extent. I repeat: everything. BUT! That doesn’t mean you can’t put a new spin on old ideas or concepts. That doesn’t mean you should write stereotypical drivel.

At the same time, however, don’t risk alienating yourself and your work to be unique. Don’t write according to trends, but know what trends are out there. Don’t copy the greats, but at least read them and understand *why* they are great. You need to be involved in the writing community in some way, and for the love of Reese’s Pieces, read a book every once in a while.

Understand that Writing is a Business

I hate to break it to you, but the writing industry involves money. Sure, you write for yourself. Sure, you do it because you love it. But guess what? If you want to be successful, you need to come to terms with the fact that you’re writing for an audience.

There is money involved with successful writing careers. It isn’t always a lot of money, but it’s there nonetheless. There are parts of the industry that exclude art completely, instead focusing on sell-ability and marketing and numbers. And if you choose writing as your day job (one where you write articles or other non-fiction content instead of fiction), understand that this involves writing things you might not always want to write. It involves adhering to style guides. It involves business.

That said, if you want writing to be your business, never write for free. Sure, gaining experience is great, but know what you can offer and refuse to have your work undervalued.

Use Your Voice

Developing voice is perhaps the hardest thing for a writer to do. Trust me, I know this from experience. Conquering grammar and spelling is relatively simple, albeit annoying (Further? Farther? I’m over it), but voice is not something you can read up on and then regurgitate the next time you sit down to work on your latest piece.

Unfortunately, developing your voice simply comes with time. After plugging away at almost 220,000 words across three different manuscripts, I finally reached a point about two years ago where I said, “aha! I’ve found my voice”. But I’m not lying. It took six years and 220,000 words.

To Be an Artist is to Fail…

I’ve saved this point for last for one simple reason: the decision to write should be inspiring. You should be inspired to commit to daily or weekly word counts. You should be inspired to learn the ins and outs of grammar. You should be inspired to develop your own unique voice.

However, like all other professions within the arts industry, being a writer is an acceptance of failure. You will fail at some point. You will have your work rejected. You will have it chewed up and spit back in your face. You will face the fact that, at the beginning (inherently), no one cares. Seriously, I see many an amateur writer crumble and spiral into depression because they’ve come to the realization that no one cares about their work.

But embrace it. Work hard so that eventually (and I mean far-away eventually) someone will care. Sure, failure is guaranteed, but in order to be a successful writer, you need to be persistent. The only way to be persistent is to write because you love it.

Do you have any tips on being a successful writer?