TheRightWriter Creative Stuff: Why Writers Succeed...

This week, I ran across Kristen Lamb?s Blog (http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/are-successful-writers-just-lucky/). With deep thanks for her inspiring word?s, the following quotation from her article, Are Successful Writers Just Lucky is listed below:

Anyone?crazy enough to write 60-100,000 words doesn?t attempt such an endeavor on a whim. Most of us, at least in the back of our minds, envision being the writer?who beats the odds. We want to make it to the top. As we head into National Novel Writing Month, it might be a good idea to look at the real chance we stand at being successful. What are the odds?.really?

I didn?t even consider becoming a writer until 1999 after my father passed away suddenly. Funny how death can make us take a hard look at life, right? Anyway, I recall feeling soooo overwhelmed. I mean my odds of even getting published were about as good as winning the lottery. And the odds of becoming a best-selling author? Well, mathematically speaking, I had a slightly greater chance of being mauled by a black bear and polar bear on the same day.

It was all I could do not to give up before I began.

But, after almost 12 years doing this ?writer thing,? I have a new perspective. Often it feels like we are the victims of fate, at the mercy of the universe, when actually it is pretty shocking how much of our own destiny we control. The good news is that if we can get in a habit of making good choices, it is staggering how?certain habits?can tip the odds of success in our favor. I have talked about this before, but it is always helpful to get an attitude check. This job is tough, and there is very little validation along the way. We have to keep our head in the game, or we will give up.

Time to take a REAL look at our odds of success. Just so you know, this is highly unscientific, but I still think it will paint a pretty accurate picture. I will show you a bit of my own journey. It has been statistically?demonstrated that only 5% of any population is capable of sustained change. Thus, with that in mind?

When we start out wanting to write, we are up against presumably millions of other people who want the same dream. We very literally have better odds of being elected to Congress than hitting the NY Times best-selling list. But I think that statement is biased and doesn?t take into account the choices we make.

As I just said, in the beginning, we are up against presumably millions of others who desire to write. Yes, millions. It is estimated that over ? of Americans say that they would one day like to write a book. That?s a LOT of people. Ah, but how many do? How many decide to look beyond that day job? How many dare to take that next step?

Statistically? 5%

So only 5% of the millions of people who desire to write will ever even take the notion seriously. This brings us to the hundreds of thousands. But of the hundreds of thousands, how many who start writing a book will actually FINISH a book? How many will be able to take their dream seriously enough to lay boundaries for friends and family and hold themselves to a self-imposed deadline?

Statistically? 5%

Okay, well now we are down to the tens of thousands. Looking a bit better. But, finishing a book isn?t all that is required. We have to be able to write a book that is publishable and meets industry standards. When I first started writing, I thought that everyone who attended a writing critique group would be published. I mean they were saying they wanted to be best-selling authors.

But did they? Or, were they more in love with the idea of being a best-selling author than actually doing whatever it took to succeed? I would love to say that I was a doer and not a talker, but I don?t want to get hit by lightning. There were a number of years that I grew very comfortable with being in a writing group as a writer?but not necessarily a professional writer. I was still querying the same book that had been rejected time and time and time again. ?I wrote when I felt inspired and didn?t approach my craft like a professional. I was, at best, a hobbyist and, at worst, hopelessly delusional.

I didn?t need craft books *snort* I knew how to write. Geesh! b

I was a member of two writing groups, and had grown very fond of this ?writer life.? We hung out at I-Hop and drank lots of coffee. We?d all chat about what we?d do with our millions once we were bigger than Dan Brown. We talked about new ideas for books that never seemed to get written. Or if we ever did sit to write one of these ideas, we would get about 30,000 words in and then hit a wall.

Hmmm?and I thought that idea had so much promise.

Yet, after four years hearing the same talk from the same people shopping the same novels, I had a rude awakening. Maybe I didn?t know as much as I thought I knew. Maybe being a copy writer and technical writer and editor didn?t automatically make me a novel-writing genius. Maybe I needed to take this dream of being a best-selling writer a tad more seriously and not rely on bluster, BS and glitter. Maybe I needed to read craft books and scrape up enough money to go to a conference.

So, of the tens of thousands of writers who write a novel, how many read craft books and get serious enough to attend conferences?

You guys are good?.5%...

To read the remainder of this article, go to the blog address listed previously. And, remember, persistence is the key to an author?s success?not talent!

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