Two Rules for Successful Writers

Guest Blogger: Robert Lee Brewer

 

There are lots of rules or codes a writer can live by, but the following two rules are a great start that cover a lot of the problems I see in the real world of writing and submitting. If you have other rules, I’d love to hear them.

 

Rule #1: Allow yourself to write crap.

 

Too many writers don’t write “as much as they’d like to.” They don’t have the time to properly focus. The inspiration isn’t there. The television is playing a marathon of Friends re-runs. There are so many excuses, but I think a lot of it comes down to writers being afraid to waste their time writing if what they write isn’t great.

Allow yourself to write crap on that first draft. Just write whenever and on whatever you have available. If you can work out a daily writing routine, excellent! If not, then snatch any moment you can—every single day.

Rule #2: Don’t allow yourself to submit crap.

 

While you should allow yourself to write bad on the first draft, you should do the opposite whenever you wish to share your writing with the world, whether you’re publishing a novel, submitting a story, or pitching an article. Put in the extra effort to spell check and proofread everything you send out (yes, even e-mail messages).

I’ve been receiving lots of submissions lately, and some of them have included very embarrassing errors—sometimes even in the subject line! These writers already have a strike against them before I even start to consider their ideas. If writers can mess up a simple e-mail, how am I supposed to trust them to write an article for me that costs my budget money?

If you allow yourself to write constantly and then revise rigorously, then you’ll quickly prove to yourself and others that you mean business. And that should lead to a more successful and enjoyable writing life.

Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Need more great advice? Check these out:

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor for the Writer’s Digest Writing Community, specifically editing Writer’s Market books and WritersMarket.com, blogging on poetry topics at Poetic Asides , leading webinars, and contributing to Writer’s Digest magazine. Brewer is also a published poet, who blogs about writing and publishing topics nearly daily on his personal blog My Name Is Not Bob. He can be reached via e-mail at robertleebrewer@gmail.com.

 

 

 

2 Comments:

  1. Great, simple advice! To be posted on the wall. #1 and #2. That’s it. If we, as writers can keep that in mind, it will drive our writing on a daily basis. I too am now fond of #1. It’s how I broke through my procrastination to finish. I allow myself to write “crap” and fast draft to the end. Then clean!

    Yes, Elements of Style is on my desk. A must have.

  2. Pingback: Saturday Special 11-19-2011 « The Author Chronicles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *