Writers Need to Write

A while back, I did a blog post on one of the big things that a writer needs to do to be successful. That is, to read. Now, that is a biggie, and something that everyone that wants to write needs to do, but there is something else, just as important, and that, as obvious as it may be, is to write.

Fair warning: this is going to be a bit of a rant as well as a regular blog post. 

I haven't been writing much lately. My blog posts have been very inconsistent, and that's just a small example. I've had a lot of personal issues in the past couple months that I've been trying to deal with and not having much success. It's not that those issues eat into my writing time. On the contrary, I have all the time in the world to write. Everything else has just been so emotionally and mentally draining, that I can't focus on the task, nor do I even have the desire to.

And that is a big problem for someone trying to be a writer.

This is not an occupation where you can write one book a year, publish it, and then sit back and reap the rewards. This isn't even a nine-to-five job, between writing, editing, and marketing. Being a real, successful author is about being willing to put in anywhere from eight to twelve hours a day, 365 days a year. 

So, yeah, at the moment, I more or less fail as a writer. And there is no excuse. Life is hard. Problems arise. ALL. THE. TIME. When you let them get in the way, you're saying "This isn't important enough to me to fight for." That's what I've been saying, without even realizing it before now. 

It doesn't matter how much or how little you write, as long as you're doing it. You only fail when you let things fully stop you. One of the other authors I follow on Facebook, William Meikle, is the epitome of how much writing one can do. He has several books available, and it seems like he's getting a handful of new short stories and novella's accepted and/or published every month. That includes writing, revising, submitting, and some of his own marketing. THAT is how you become a successful writer. You work your ass off. 

Just like every other job in the world. Make no mistake, when you decide to be a writer, you are signing up for a job. Be it full-time or part-time, and just like any other job, what you get out of it is based on what you put into it. And yes, there are other parts to being a writer, but if you don't write, then you don't have anything to edit, revise, submit, or market. 

If you don't write, then you're not a writer. That's all there is to it. 

So what are you still doing here? Get to writing. That's what I'm moving on to. 

I'm not letting my problems get in the way anymore.

~ Shaun