Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Overcoming 16 Obstacles To Being A Successful Writer



Being an author can be very rewarding – and highly challenging.  Most writers do not become successfully published authors, but so many try.  Can you overcome the obstacles most writers face on the route to getting published, gaining some notoriety, and selling books at a decent clip? Here are 16 challenges to work around:

1.      Confidence
You must believe in yourself and remind yourself of your abilities

2.      Drive
You should pursue far more than is achievable.

3.      Focus
You must keep your eye on the prize and not get distracted by life’s chores or convenient escapes.

4.      Set Goals
Certainly, you should have short-term and long0term benchmarks for achievements.

5.      Plan Ahead
You need to have a roadmap, but be ready to adjust course as needed.

6.      Ego Check
You need a healthy dose of ego to achieve anything, but keep it in check or your swollen 
head will blur your vision.

7.      Fearlessness
We all are afraid, but you need to act as if you fear nothing. Act like you have nothing to lose and feel free of obligation or explanation.

8.      Be Assertive
Thrust yourself into the conversation – don’t sit back.

9.      Be Aggressive
Assertiveness on steroids.

10.  Strategize
Think before you act, then react, then think again.

11.  Experiment
Don’t stick to one path, one formula, one routine.

12.  Network Endlessly
Few things just come to you.  Go out and claim what’s yours.  Begin by networking – people make things easier when you know the ones who can help you take shortcuts.

13.  Work At Writing
I believe good writing comes from the heart, experience, and knowledge, but writing can be improved upon.  Work at being better – don’t settle.

14.  Ignore Critics & Unsupportive Family
Screw those jealous, selfish, and uncreative critics.  Family and friends may appear supportive but they too can convince you to quit.  Ignore them.

15.  Research Competing  Authors
Don’t create in a vacuum – know your marketplace so that you can fill its needs.

16.  Be Willing To Fail
There’s only failure in not trying, otherwise all other failure is a temporary precursor to growth.

It’s not easy to stay energized, focused, motivated, and confident, but for writers to succeed they need to deal with a lot of crap and challenges.  Writers can be their harshest critics.  But I believe in those who believe in themselves, who want to express their world in words, and who want to make the world a better place through the power of the pen (or laptop).  Keep at it until you drop dead.

READ UP!
Writers, please never violate these three rules!

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015

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