These are the 3 things you need to become a writer

by Maria

The 3 things you need to become a writer: a literary agent on the 3 habits that can help anyone become a writer and successfully publish a book.

I love a good origin story. A few weeks ago I got to hear three of them at a book signing at Rizzoli, and it still (still!) surprised me how similar they were.

Basically, here’s how to become a writer:

  1. Be passionate about X subject.
  2. Try a whole bunch of different thing to turn that passion into a job.
  3. Find the thing that works for you, put in your 10,000 hours, and get really good at it.
  4. Get invited to do fun things—write a book, go on TV, appear in big magazines, go on tour.
  5. Do it all over again, forever.

As a literary agent, I get to hop on the ride around step 3 and help make step 4 and 5 go smoothly and enjoyably. But steps 1 through 3 are the most important ones to become a writer. Those are the ones where no one can help you—no agent, no editor, no powerful connection—can wave the creative wand and make you successful.

Become a writer

But in the nearly 10 years I’ve worked in publishing, I’ve seen that there are 3 habits that are essential if you want to become a writer. And 9 times out of 10, successful authors have all used the same exact tool to build those 3 habits.

Here are the 3 things you need to become a writer:

1. Discipline

I can’t overstate how important creative discipline is if you want to become a writer. Without it, you’ll never take your first step. In fact, many people don’t—many people never get past Step 1 and instead settle for sidelining their passion into a hobby, or even worse, ignoring it altogether.  I don’t want that for you—it doesn’t lead to good, big, exciting living.

So the only other option? Sit your butt down and write.

Look resistance in the face and say “Ha, you don’t know how horribly stubborn I am.” Then start typing even if the earth cracks open and a volcano blows open in your living room. Keep going until you’ve fulfilled your commitment to yourself. Repeat. And know that each time you fulfill that commitment to yourself, you will get stronger, and tougher, and better. One day at a time.

easy stop procrastinating writing

2. Humility

Hard truth: You are going to be so bad at first. We all are.

As Ira Glass put it:

“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.”

In the early years, your pride will tell you: “My work is terrible; I’m not making any money on this; this isn’t worth my time; no one’s paying attention.” Your humility needs to answer: “I’m learning; I’m growing; I’m here to build this part of me that matters in a way time, money, and fame can never measure.”

write a first draft

3. Bravery

Yes, you can be brave and humble at the same time. All of my authors are—they bravely put their work into the world again and again, but they humbly offer it, not expecting praise, but simply hoping it will make someone else’s existence a little brighter.

But being brave is essential to become a writer.

As D.W. Winicott put it,

“Artists are people driven by the tension between te desire to communicate and the desire to hide.”

So the sooner we can get comfortable with thousands of strangers reading our work—and possibly critiquing it—the sooner we’ll thicken our skins and get stronger in our identities as writers.

Here’s the best way to cultivate those 3 habits to become a writer

The one thing almost all of my authors have in common?

Blogging.

Blogging is a mini form of writing a book. It’s like starting with short stories before diving into a novel.

There are no barriers to entry; it costs less than you’d pay for a latte, and it allows you to start building the 3 habits you’ll need to become a writer.

Even better, it allows you to take the smallest possible step. Instead of focusing on the big goal—how to become a writer or artist—zero in on the one micro-step you can take right now to start.

For all three of those successful authors signing books at Rizzoli, the first step was deciding to finally register a domain. Once they’d made that commitment of a few dollars a month for a blog, they also started funneling a few minutes a day into it.

That’s how every origin story starts. One tiny step. Then another. Lather, rinse, repeat, publish, kill it.

And if you’re not sure where to register your domain, I love BlueHost. It’s what I use and what most of the top blogs are hosted on. So if you’re feeling ready to take that tiny first step, BlueHost is generously offering my readers a 50% discount on web hosting until May 31st. Just use this link to get the discounted rate of $2.95 per month, down from $7.99 per month!

Click here to get the discount!

 

And if you do take the leap, let me know—I’d love to hear all about where you’ll be blogging!

Quick reads of the week

  1. Want to make money from your online writing? Start here. (HT to Dianne Jacob.)
  2. Hilarious.
  3. These are the 100 most-loved novels–how many have you read?
  4. A hundred years of blue.
  5. Here’s how not to freak out over editor notes.

What We’re Eating This Week

Menu plans will return next week when I feel like getting in the kitchen again! In the meantime, get outside, grill something stupid simple, and just take it easy. 🙂

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