What is the secret to being a successful writer?
It’s the question every aspiring author asks themselves. And while personal definitions of success are different for each person, there is one universal rule that you need to succeed in any writing genre.
They never told us this was a rule. They slipped it in, silently every week, until it took over our writing.
What is writing school like?
I studied creative writing for both my bachelor’s and my master’s degrees. And while we were allowed to choose a writing concentration as well as a literary specialization for our reading courses, the classes were, overall, the same.
Each week we had some reading to do, discussions, and some writing assignments. We were writing stories weekly, and sometimes it required writing every day.
And that was the secret skill. The skill that many writers forget how to do:
We were taught how to write anytime, anywhere, and on deadline.
It’s a well-known fact that most writers never finish their first book. Most estimates put it at less than 5% of authors that complete their manuscript.
So, by those odds, you are a successful writer by simply being able to sit down and write.
I’ve met so many writers who tell me they struggle to sit down and write unless they are “in the mood.” But the secret to being a successful writer is to write.
Any day. Any time. Any mood.
Now, go write something.
Happy writing!
Elizabeth Penn 