There are a lot of
people that decides to become a writer with the philosophy that an artist must pours
his soul into a piece of paper and does not pay a lot of attention to the commercial
aspects of writing. There is some truth in this, as, in the end, writing a
novel is a creative act and the ability to transmit our essence to the pages is
what will make it honest and enhance its literary quality.
However, writing
fiction is a business; writers create stories for readers to read, and there
are all sorts of intermediaries between the writer and the reader, which
encompass the publishing industry: agents, editors, publishers, distributors,
book-sellers, etc.
In order to be
successful in the literary fiction market you need to be a part of this
industry, and even when creating a product that readers want to read depends on
your artistic side, getting it known within the editorial market directly
concerns with your professional approach.
This means to be
organized and efficient in your writing routines (delivery of the product needs
to be guaranteed). You also need to be responsible and pay attention in your
meetings with agents and publishers, setting aside your creative side to make
room for the business side.
This does not mean to
“sell yourself to marketing”, but to establish a basis of responsibility as a
professional that will encourage others to invest in your project and will keep
your writing career spinning, feeding of money and respect. This is the job we
have chosen.
The background also
helps, that is why we need to have the tools to become a professional writer at
hand. It is impossible to think of a carpenter without a hammer; that would give
a clear impression of what kind of professional he is.
Managing our time also leads us to become professional.
Give it some time:
As we know, becoming a
writer takes time. You cannot reach the objective with less time that it takes
to walk the path; there are no shortcuts. That is why it is good to focus as experienced
workers do, in small tasks, one at a time, doing them in the best possible way,
without worrying how long they will take. This is the best way to make the
process faster.
Quality time:
This refers to making
the best of your writing sessions. By applying writing techniques, overcoming
blockings, applying to detail resolution, you will unintentionally reach the
goal in less time while enjoying the ride. You need to write intelligently.
Becoming a writer requires creativity.
It is time to discuss
the third aspect (perhaps the most important one) that will help us sustain as
writers: creativity.
The good news is that
we all have some creativity and, if we take this as a basis, that creativity
can be developed, amplified, strengthen, with different exercises, generating a
constant flow of ideas to which professionalism will need to give form, without
letting motivation fade, during the whole process.
The creativity we all
have when we are children, that one which allows us to spend hours with a group
of trees turned into an enchanted forest, or on some cardboard boxes that are
to be our spaceship, grows rigid, and we tend to lose it while growing up, due
to the false believe that it goes against seriousness and responsibility. This
is false. You can be responsible and creative at the same time!
If you want to become
a successful novel writer, it is key to learn to make the most of your
creativity. Creativity will not only allow you to write much better, but it
will also help you enjoy the writing process.
Inspiration, our
writing muse, is derived from creativity, from that right hemisphere of our
brain where imagination and emotions reside. Nevertheless, it is not possible
to wait sitting for our muse to come to us, we need to wake it and call it.
Picasso said “I do not
believe in muses, but in case they come down, I would rather they find me
working”; and there are many creativity exercises that can be useful at
different times.
A great grey cloud in
our creative sky is the dreaded “writers blocking”. Do not be scared, there are
many ways to overcome it and get on with our task until we complete our novel.
Now stop for a while
and take the necessary time to absorb all the advice on this article. I know
you are anxious to embark on this new adventure to become a writer, but you
need to understand that writing is a career by itself, not a sprint.
Taking the time to get
ready before starting, can save you a
lot of time later.
