Top 10 Habits Of A Successful Writer

Writing is a long, hard slog. The idea is fun and inspiration feels like a jolt in your battery. 

But writing and publishing, it’s not so fun.

It’s work.

Hard work. But we do it because we have to. We have stories in us and they need to be told. 

Many lucky writers only write for themselves. Some of us make the ridiculous decision to build this into a career. 

For you career writers out there, there are some habits we need to get into and stick with.

Here are my top 10:

1. Write Every Day. 

A classic. Every writer will tell you the same thing. And it’s important advice. Inspiration comes and goes but habits stay. 

I see a lot of writers worry and stress over this possible habit. We’re busy. Most of us have full time jobs, families to care for, friends to see, and hobbies to enjoy. 

Not to mention dinners that need to be cooked, washing to be washed, and houses to be vacuumed. 

Writing everyday does not have to mean 5hours at your desk, producing blood, sweat and words. This could mean one word a day, or simply getting used to opening the laptop at the same time everyday. These habits get our brain thinking about writing at the same time, every day. Our minds will get used to seeing us grab our laptop, open it, and the inspiration will flow - all because we trained our brains there is a time and place for this kind of behaviour.

It’ll be hard to start but after a couple months, writing will feel easy and you might even be sad on the days you have to forgo this habit.

Or, you’ll do all the steps without thinking. And before you know it, you’ll have a finished first draft.

2. Editing is the Real Job. 

Writing is what we call it but that’s hardly 10% of the actual job. Getting the first draft done is step 1. And there are a million steps to get to the publishing stage. Once the first draft is complete, career writers will put down their manuscript for at least two weeks. They’ll then pick up the manuscript for the first re-read with fresh eyes. 

This is where the real work begins. Editing is all about finding the mistakes and fixing them.

I like to do a few rounds of self-edits. First, I check for anything major and structural - I will rewrite my book over and over again until the structure and plot is as perfect as I can make it. Next, I look at characters - are they believable, realistic, relatable and entertaining. Once my characters are the best they can be, I move on to each individual scene, then each individual line, then word, then grammar. 

It’s a long slog but well worth it.

3. Hire contractors.

Contractors are the best. I’m talking about beta-readers, editors, cover designers, anyone who has a skill that you don’t - utilize them and use them to help you build up your product, brand and business. 

If this is something you want to make a career out of, you need to learn to delegate. Especially if you self-publishing. Know your skills and know where you’ll fall short. 

For me, I can’t draw - so I’ve hired an amazing cover designer. I don’t know what works on the market so I hired a manuscript assessor. I will never be able to read my book from an outside perspective so I gained the help of beta-readers. 

It takes a village, to do anything.

4. Write a blog. 

Blogs are magic. Not only do they show off the amount of knowledge you have, they also let Google know you have an active website. If Google notices you are active and posting quality content, they are more likely to suggest your website to people using the search engine. That’s discoverability. That’s SEO.

Blogs are often suggested because of SEO and how much Google likes them. But they’re also a great way to connect with your audience. You can write stories about yourself, what you’ve been up to, what your hopes and dreams are - or you can share knowledge. This is a chance for your audience to have some direct line of contact to you, and you to them. 

Talk about bonding!

5. Show off your work.

A lot of newbies are terrified of showing off their work in case it gets stolen. And yes, that is a worry we all have. 

But.

You ain’t getting anywhere by hiding your work. Show it off to beta-readers, family and friends, writing circles, editors, anyone who wants to take a look. Get feedback, implement the feedback, ask for more feedback.

Show off the blog, gain subscribers, add people to your mailing list. 

Let people know you write and let them enjoy your work.

6. Read Loads.

When you study to be a lawyer, you read case files that were won before you. When you study to be a doctor, you shadow someone with more experience. When you study to be a teacher, you sit in the classroom and see how a seasoned professional gets the job done. 

Writers need to do the same. Read books you like. Read ones you don’t. Follow the careers of people you admire. Read all their books, read the latest obsession everyone’s talking about, read, read, read. Discover the styles you like and you don’t like. Learn from the best, learn from the worst. 

7. Help Others.

This one is for everyone. Once you have a lot of something, including a skill like writing, give back. Sharing is caring. Share your skills with people. Share your joy. Share the ups and downs of writing and creating a career in this fickle and fun industry. 

Why climb the ladder if you won’t reach back down?

You get there faster with friends.

8. Keep going, under every circumstance.

There is a lot in the way when it comes to building a writing career.

Time.

Money.

Energy.

Ideas.

Inspiration.

Know how.

Career writers push through everything. They have their routine, this takes away the obstacle of energy, time and even finding ideas. Money is a big obstacle which is why most writers still work a full time job, or they use crowd funding, or they freelance and sell merchandise online. Learning can be done through blogs, writing circles, classes, books… There’s a wealth of knowledge out there, you just have to ask. 

If you were to stop every time there was an obstacle, you’d never get started.

9. Eat.

It’s a priority. 

10. Make time for yourself.

Writing takes a lot of energy, more than anyone - even ourselves - realise. Make a bit of time to give yourself a pat on the back and to celebrate when you reach a milestone. Each milestone is a big deal. Make sure you acknowledge all the work you put in and give yourself a moment to be proud.