Writers have a litany of excuses why they can’t get their writing done:
- They work full time.
- They have __ kids and a wife at home.
- They are tired in the evenings when they come home.
- They are active in their church.
- They have been sick, or their child has been ill.
- They _____ (fill in the blank with your favorite excuse).
From my experience, their excuses become a self-fulfilling prophecy and, writing just will not happen because this task isn’t high enough on their daily priority list.
You don’t have to write every day, but you do have to write on a regular basis to complete the project and get it into the market. Even after you produce the written pages, the article, blog post, or book won’t get published unless you regularly send it to editors and agents.
Success Comes from Slow and Steady Progresss
People are always amazed at my writing resume, amount of Twitter followers, or any number of other accomplishments. Here’s the truth: these things did not happen in a single day or a single month.
The route to success in publishing comes from slow and steady production. The path to more followers on Twitter comes from working at it every day. Getting bylines comes from consistent submission.
Slow and steady rules the day.
Use Your Time Wisely
If you aren’t getting published or aren’t getting your work into print, then pull back and take a look at how you use your time. Can you make some small change that will bring greater focus and commitment to your writing and work in the marketplace?
Maybe you get up an hour earlier, stay up an hour later, or use your lunchtime (or your coffee break at work) to write. There are a million different possibilities for how to increase the amount of time you spend writing, and you need to get in touch with the micro decisions you make each part of the day.
It might be time to make some different decisions.
You Need Persistence and Consistency
You can do it. You can get published in magazines or books and achieve whatever writing goals you set. Yet to achieve those goals you have to work at it slowly and steadily with persistence and consistency.
You may wonder how I managed to write for over 50 print magazines. It is slow and steady work.
Or you may wonder how I’ve written many different types of books and produced over 60 books with traditional publishing houses (not self-published). Again, it is slow and steady writing and working at the process.
I’ve never pretended to be the best writer in the room or the best storyteller. I’m still working hard at learning my craft and attempting to get better every single day. However, I am one of the most consistent writers you will meet. I’m like the tortoise racing the hare. The tortoise won because he was slow and steady. This will be your route to success in the publishing world as well.
Still feeling the need for a bit of encouragement? If you haven’t read my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, then I recommend you download this free 29-page sample chapter.
What slow-and-steady work do you do to accomplish your writing goals? Tell me in a comment below.
About the Author
W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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