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