Five Things I Wished I’d Known

This week’s guest blogger had to cancel so I brainstormed what to share with you.

Just the other day, someone asked me about what if anything I’d do differently if I was a beginning writer again.  Here’s what I came up with-

Treat It as a Business

Writing is a creative pursuit and most of us fall into the trap of thinking that business plays no role in it. Publishers and agents don’t see it like that.  Let them know you treat it like a business and one, they’ll know you’re a professional, and two, you’re not the type to just hand over all your rights to them. Signing a contract that isn’t in your best interest costs you money. In your heart, treat this as a creative endeavor, but in your head, treat it as a business empire you’re running.

Perfection Doesn’t Get It Done

You want to send in a near perfect manuscript but to get there you have to let perfection go. Don’t worry about the first draft, just get it written.

Write Every Day

It wasn’t until I went through my writing drought that I realized to be a writer you have to write every day just like an athletic in training. Even if it’s just ten minutes a day, get your butt in that chair and write something.

Find Your Genre

I began writing children’s stories because I was told that’s where the money was. The money might have been there but my heart really wasn’t (and I later found out it’s the hardest genre to get published in). I switched to mysteries and only wish I’d come to my senses sooner.

Look For a Coach or Mentor.

One of the reasons I began tutoring and coaching is because I never found anyone who would take me under their wing and guide the new writer in the direction she needed to go. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough but I never found the person who I could look to in times of rejections or when the writing wasn’t going well.  (I’d like to think I’ve become the person I wished existed when I begun my writing journey).