Write To Be Great, Not Rich

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

That's not the kind of advice I want to hear... EVER. I want to be the next Stephen King/Stephenie Meyer/Tom Clancy/J. K. Rowling.

Most writers do.

As a career, writing attracts more people than any other field in the arts. It's a crowded profession and only those who love it regardless of financial reward can sustain themselves for very long.

If you're only writing because you want praise and notice, it won't keep you going.

You've got to want to write even more then you want praise and recognition.

Of course most of us want money.

After writing because you love it, its really nice when it pays. I wonder how many people dance around with their check from working at the grocery store. I'd bet that every writer who got their first royalty check did a happy dance around the house and then posted the news on facebook and Twitter, and any place else they could shout about it.

THE KEY... Being able to see your project through to the end.

Professional writers complete a book and then work just as hard, if not harder, to get it published.

It's that stubborn stick-to-it-ness.

I have a closet shelf lined with novels waiting for rewrite. Instead of starting that next tempting story I need to take those down and finish them. Any one of them just might be the next Best Seller.