5 Vital Components to Your Lasting Writing Career

You've heard the old axiom: “Don't build your house on the sand.” Well, the same holds true for your writing career. Ask yourself, as a writer or author, are you putting up a temporary tent or building an institution? If you’re just beginning to write, embark on building your success strategy early - smart and from the start! After all, there is no such thing as a lucky break in the field of publishing. Authors who make progress, make progress! In other words, thriving authors take devoted action, understanding the importance of having a strong foundation.

There are five vital components to include in your author infrastructure:

Talent – Notice that talent is only one of the five components. In other words, to get ahead, you need talent, but you can’t ride on it. The great thing about talent is that it can be developed, no matter what your Aunt Sue told you about your lack of ability. If you can take constructive feedback and use it to improve your work, then you have a much higher chance at finding success and acclaim. Nobody at the top started out as a star. They let themselves be coached, trained and molded until they got great. They had the patience to stay in pursuit of their dream as it slowly grew – and the ability to fail and to get back up and do better.

Enthusiasm – Having Passion (with a capital P) for your topic or genre is tantamount to attracting agents, publishers and readers. If you light up while talking about your project, that energy will translate to others’ confidence in you. If certain days get you down, or if dudes make you doubt, get in the habit of reaffirming your star quality. Know you are capable of your biggest dreams and show the world through the way you carry yourself every day. When I was worn out and wondering if I’d ever finish my book, I got in a bubble bath and read Bird by Bird – Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. I laughed so hard at how similarly odd the thoughts and musings of writers are. That gave me the kick I needed to stay confident.

Flexibility – A lot of books on the bestseller list started out with a very different outline or storyline. Great books (and great writers) are built by being aware of the trends and interests of the target culture. Now, nobody is going to understand fully the genius behind your idea at first, so of course you have to have a healthy amount of sticking to your guns on your tale or topic matter. But if you can find a few things you can be flexible on, especially if you are getting advice from an expert, it will likely save you time and take you to new levels.

Niche – The cement to your foundation is definitively your niche, which we’ll cover in more depth in a future blog. Your niche is what is different about you – or what unique service or specialization you will deliver to your audience. Some authors have the ability to separate themselves from their personal perspective long enough to write with a specific audience in mind. This is a developed talent. With practice or training, all writers can release themselves from their own view to connect with what the reader will be feeling and thinking when they read the novel or non-fiction book. Identifying your niche and identifying with your target audience are steps that too many authors skip. But remember that this is what you’ll use to snag media interviews and a profusion of other promotional opportunities.

Creative Thinking – This final component is going to help you make connections, figure out how you are going to do this financially, and basically problem solve. Successful authors, like all people who reach their goals are programmed (or have programmed themselves) to take misfortunes and turn them into fortunes. Ultimately, your success is going to be determined by the way you think, so think about how you can make it work!

In summary, if you build your writing career on creative problem-solving, and employ talent, flexibility, excitement and focus, your name will surely be known by your target audience for years to come.