A writers life
is not for the faint hearted
A writers life has been romanticised more than necessary. So I grew up thinking it would be the ideal job in the world, where I could write away in the country/city/mountain top and live happily ever after with a great deal of fans and a fat bank account.
It was a myth, that it was so easy! Can anything ever be?
A writers life is just like an entrepreneurs, there is a greal deal of risk and much uncertainty. And I would go one step further and add that it is even more difficult than a business because unlike in business where you can estimate the time it may take to break even, or even fail, for a writer that may never happen.
The truth is that besides the arduous task of writing a book and getting it published, and even having the joy of having your work on the stands, or online, you may just make enough to barely make ends meet.
Many writers have alternate careers to sustain their writing and only when they become bestsellers and millionaires do they prolly do it full time.
To be a writer you must have/develop the following qualities to be able to enjoy what you do, for a long period of time.
>Do not depend on your writing to make you rich. It is not a dependable source of income (recognization for your work can take a long time).
>Believe in yourself
> Develop the habit of writing everyday
> Know your strengths and weaknesses as a writer and work on them
> Hoard up on grit, peserverance and patience
> Pay attention to your audience
>Read more books, you will be surprised at how much that can help
And I shall stop now..because I know I will learn more, and can keep adding to that list.
Many people I know, think that writing is easy, and do not understad why it takes such a long time to keep at it, and keep asking me when is my book coming out. It is irksome, because they do not understand what goes into it.
I tell them two things.
My book may never get published, and that I enjoy writing so I am going to do it for a long time.
The questions have stopped. And I know they either feel pity for me, or think I am secretly making a big deal.
Who cares? And can you blame them? They don’t know!
Writers are people who handle rejection 99 out of 100 times?
Certainly not for the faint hearted!
