Six Skills Every Writer Should Possess
First of all, Happy Holidays!
I'm sorry for not updating this blog more often! I think it's been more than two weeks. (Nice going, Dana.)
I've just been so busy with Christmas and New Years preparation. Also, I've been working hard on writing my latest book, a young adult science fiction novel titled COMING OF AGE.
(I'm writing Chapter 24 tomorrow, and I plan to finish it at Chapter 31. I'm so close!)
The other day, I was thinking about how difficult the life of a writer is. It's filled with many ups and downs...and sometimes, it's all in a single day.
To be able to endure the torture, I've written a list about six skills every writer should possess (in order to stay sane and prosper.)
1. Patience
It is a virtue, but it's often easier said than done. Why patience? Because literary agents take MONTHS to get back to you. When you're just beginning your literary career, many (if not all) of their responses will be a resounding "no." You must cultivate patience because it will probably take you years to find that magical "yes" - and then you'll know the hard work was worth it.
2. Positivity
Again, something that is easier said than done. You must believe in both yourself and your work, and believe strongly that it will resonate with someone. I practice the Law of Attraction meditation every night, where I repeat affirmation phrases like "I am an excellent writer", "I am a successful writer", "I am a published writer", and so forth. There are no downsides to thinking positively!
3. Persistence
Much like Patience, Persistence is important to have in the face of rejection and failure. Every writer will be rejected. It's inevitable, and as certain as the sunrise. Successful, published writers are ones who were rejected time and time again, but persisted with their work and never gave up.
4. Good Work Ethic
If you don't show up for work, chances are that you'll be fired, right? It's the same thing with writing. Lots of writers procrastinate and put it off, and then it takes them years to finish one manuscript. You must think of writing as a career, even if you aren't making any money from it right now. Show up every day. Put in your time, even if you're just writing a page a day. If you don't work hard, someone else will.
5. Flexibility
In life, there are so many things that are unpredictable. Writing is one of them. The manuscript you really like might be rejected, a published book might fail to sell many copies, you might run into trouble while writing a certain book, one idea might call out your name while you're writing something else...the list goes on. It's important to be flexible and just "go with the flow". You never know where it might take you!
6. Thick Skin
Okay, I'll admit that this is something I need to work on. The thing is, art is subjective. Some people will love your work, some will hate it, and some will be indifferent to it. Some people happen to be very, very cruel about it, and it's hard not to take offense, but you must develop a thick skin for your own mental health. You must let their crude comments roll off like raindrops. Side note: I do think constructive criticism is beneficial to writers, but criticism that insults you personally or is very plain like "your writing sucks and you should give up" isn't worth listening to. Spot the difference.
Most of all, keep your chin up and stick with it!
To my fellow writers, which one of these skills do you struggle with? What else do you think a writer must have in order to succeed?
I'll be writing another blog post about New Years Resolution within a few days, so stay tuned for that. As always, thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Dana
I'm sorry for not updating this blog more often! I think it's been more than two weeks. (Nice going, Dana.)
I've just been so busy with Christmas and New Years preparation. Also, I've been working hard on writing my latest book, a young adult science fiction novel titled COMING OF AGE.
(I'm writing Chapter 24 tomorrow, and I plan to finish it at Chapter 31. I'm so close!)
The other day, I was thinking about how difficult the life of a writer is. It's filled with many ups and downs...and sometimes, it's all in a single day.
To be able to endure the torture, I've written a list about six skills every writer should possess (in order to stay sane and prosper.)
1. Patience
It is a virtue, but it's often easier said than done. Why patience? Because literary agents take MONTHS to get back to you. When you're just beginning your literary career, many (if not all) of their responses will be a resounding "no." You must cultivate patience because it will probably take you years to find that magical "yes" - and then you'll know the hard work was worth it.
2. Positivity
Again, something that is easier said than done. You must believe in both yourself and your work, and believe strongly that it will resonate with someone. I practice the Law of Attraction meditation every night, where I repeat affirmation phrases like "I am an excellent writer", "I am a successful writer", "I am a published writer", and so forth. There are no downsides to thinking positively!
3. Persistence
Much like Patience, Persistence is important to have in the face of rejection and failure. Every writer will be rejected. It's inevitable, and as certain as the sunrise. Successful, published writers are ones who were rejected time and time again, but persisted with their work and never gave up.
4. Good Work Ethic
If you don't show up for work, chances are that you'll be fired, right? It's the same thing with writing. Lots of writers procrastinate and put it off, and then it takes them years to finish one manuscript. You must think of writing as a career, even if you aren't making any money from it right now. Show up every day. Put in your time, even if you're just writing a page a day. If you don't work hard, someone else will.
5. Flexibility
In life, there are so many things that are unpredictable. Writing is one of them. The manuscript you really like might be rejected, a published book might fail to sell many copies, you might run into trouble while writing a certain book, one idea might call out your name while you're writing something else...the list goes on. It's important to be flexible and just "go with the flow". You never know where it might take you!
6. Thick Skin
Okay, I'll admit that this is something I need to work on. The thing is, art is subjective. Some people will love your work, some will hate it, and some will be indifferent to it. Some people happen to be very, very cruel about it, and it's hard not to take offense, but you must develop a thick skin for your own mental health. You must let their crude comments roll off like raindrops. Side note: I do think constructive criticism is beneficial to writers, but criticism that insults you personally or is very plain like "your writing sucks and you should give up" isn't worth listening to. Spot the difference.
Most of all, keep your chin up and stick with it!
To my fellow writers, which one of these skills do you struggle with? What else do you think a writer must have in order to succeed?
I'll be writing another blog post about New Years Resolution within a few days, so stay tuned for that. As always, thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Dana
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