If you are a writer at the beginning of your authoring career, and you want to live your dream of being a Writer, here are my suggestions for success:
• understand from the outset that things might be bumpy
• accept that there will always be ways you might improve your writing, and work hard at doing just that
• always be in the process of learning something new
• be the driver of your own authoring career – don’t wait for opportunities to land on your doorstep: become entrepreneurial about it. And for pity’s sake don’t wait around for a government grant to fund your writing project. Just write!
• be realistic about what you are worth – and, if you are always learning, know that you are always enhancing your value to anyone who might hire you; someday, this might allow you to keep a writing job while others around you are losing theirs
• adopt a mindset of “being of service”
• be a team player
• let go of your judgements around what your career is supposed to look like

When I started out as a writer, self-publishing was an idea in the mind of some evil genius somewhere, but it certainly wasn’t broadly available. By the time I became an author, it was an established part of our world. Your writing and authoring career could well be disrupted by something even more dramatic that has not even been invented yet. Be ready for it.

There are no guarantees in this life. My parents had their future ripped out from under them the day my mother had a stroke, and the trajectory of my own life was similarly redirected by the event. It was traumatic for everybody, and we all got through it, eventually, creating new paths we didn’t even know existed for us. I’ve ended up with a wonderful series of writing accomplishments to my credit and I have a long list of exciting writing-related projects prancing on my “To-Do” list. The future is an unwritten book. The opportunity is to be the fearless writer of it.

But I also think that the story of the years before my career really got rolling reminds us that we need dreams. We need BIG dreams. And we need to find a place in our lives where we can fly towards them! And once you have your dream, do not ever give up on it! If your dream is to write a book, then hang onto that dream and devote yourself to making it come true, no matter how hard it might seem.

But please don’t “hope” your way to your dreams. Set your intention, visualize yourself creating the success you dream of, and map out a plan for your book writing success. Dollars to doughnuts the Universe will redirect you along the way. But keep taking one resolute step after another and know that you can make this happen. In these days of hybrid and self-publishing we now have the option of “pay-to-play” publishing. A lot of people turn their noses up at the idea of assisted self-publishing, but it can be just as impactful—and sometimes an even better solution–than traditional publishing.

Don’t give up! Just keep going!

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