Rennie Saunders On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer

Self-confidence: Whatever it takes, you have to turn off any doubt and believe that people want to hear your story. You have to believe that your idea is worth pursuing. When a good journalist pursues a story, they must believe in it to commit to researching and hunting down their leads. The same goes for fiction writing.

Some writers and authors have a knack for using language that can really move people. Some writers and authors have been able to influence millions with their words alone. What does it take to become an effective and successful author or writer?

In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer” we are talking to successful authors and writers who can share lessons from their experiences.

As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rennie Saunders, founder and CEO of Shut Up & Write! Rennie Saunders is Founder and CEO of Shut Up & Write, which hosts free in-person and online writing events for writers all over the world. Their goal is to ensure that every writer — regardless of genre or skill level — has access to the resources, community, and accountability that they need to be successful in their personal writing goals. Rennie’s organization has built a community of nearly 100,000 people, in 53 countries, who come together for weekly writing sessions.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I wrote my first science fiction story at age 12, called “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” which should give you an idea of the era (and what album I was listening to incessantly). I was completely obsessed with the space program, and stayed up all night in July 1969 watching the lunar landing on TV. Then I discovered the second Pink Floyd album, and that’s when I started writing science fiction.

I’ve always been into science fiction and fantasy. When I was 19, I wrote to the Isaac Asimov Science Fiction magazine to get their submission requirements — I still have it in a drawer. I submitted something and got rejected. I started playing Dungeons & Dragons when I was 24, and I love books like Dune and the Lord of the Rings series. I’ve written a lot of sci-fi over the years, but much of the writing I did early on was marketing or technical writing, since I worked as a graphic designer.

Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?

After selling my graphic design agency, my wife and I moved to San Francisco in 2005. Not knowing anyone, I struggled to find a creative community to support me in writing my first full novel. I consistently found other distractions that prevented me from getting my project done. I took every writing class in San Francisco, read every book on writing, and realized that all these classes and books just made the writing process seem overly complicated. So, I started a Meetup.com writing group to simplify everything, and to find my own creative community. I knew that even if no one showed up, at least I would spend an hour dedicated to my writing. The first time, 3 or 4 people showed up. The second time, 12 people showed up. Within the first few months we’d established a regular group that met every week. Over time, members of that writing group branched out and created their own writing events. What started out as my selfish desire to get my own writing done has become an organization that’s helped thousands of other writers also get their writing done.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey to becoming a writer? How did you overcome it? Can you share a story about that that other aspiring writers can learn from?

My biggest challenge has always been sticking with a project, which led to me discovering the power of accountability. I realized that I had to put something on the calendar and show up if I wanted to get my writing done. After starting Shut Up & Write, I ultimately finished a draft and then self-published a sci-fi novel. I pushed through, proved that I could do it, and then went back to my favorite hobby of telling 50 different stories at once. Writing, for me, is a practice that is like daily meditation, tapping into creativity as a way to boost my mental health.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I created this organization, I wanted a catchy name that would grab attention. My inspiration was something my dad used to tell me. When I was a kid, I used to have all these story ideas, so my dad used to say to me, “Shut up and write!” Truly, the name was a tribute to my dad. I never once considered that I would someday have a child and I would feel differently about teaching him to say “shut up” to others! When my son was little, I couldn’t mention the name of my own organization. When I was on my way to my Shut Up & Write event, he would ask, “Where are you going?” and instead, I would stutter, “I’m just going to my writing group!” Now he’s 16 years old and I love the fact that I can finally tell him exactly what I’m doing. Now when he tells me he’s got a great idea for a story, I tell him, “Shut up and write!”

In your opinion, were you a “natural born writer” or did you develop that aptitude later on? Can you explain what you mean?

I’m a natural born storyteller, but I had to develop my skill in writing. I’m lucky in that both of my parents had master’s degrees in English literature, so I grew up with pedantic people saying things like, “No, that’s a transitive verb.” My mother taught junior high English, and my dad taught high school science. My dad also wrote a novel or two, so I was just around writers growing up. It was something I approached as a skill or craft. I was very methodical about it — I went out and bought all the books on writing and went through a lot of them when I decided to also be a writer.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Since starting SU&W, my priorities have shifted. At first, I was focused on my own work, but I’ve come to realize that my true passion is supporting writers and creating community.

Shut Up & Write has grown organically over the last 15 years to support almost 100,000 authors in 53 different countries. We’ve done this by using software solutions and services readily available to the general public. After 15 years, we’ve realized there’s a limitation to how much these tools can help our authors, and we’re extremely excited to be working on our own technology solutions to support our global community. We’ve acquired capital to develop technologies and hired individuals from the creative & tech world, and we’re actively working with partners to provide additional resources as we grow. The most exciting thing we have in front of us is the continued growth of our community, which translates into even more writers getting support and getting their writing done.

(And I’m still working on my novel!)

Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer”? Please share a story or example for each.

1. A goal: Have a goal so you can set up a step-by-step plan. You have to have a plan; even if you just have an idea for a story, you create a target so you know what you’re shooting at. Your plan doesn’t have to be super-detailed — it can be the lightest framework necessary. At Shut Up & Write we encourage people to just sit down and start writing, but at a certain point you transform your idea into a goal.
2. Self-awareness: Be aware of the things you do to stand in your own way. Ruthlessly document your excuses to creativity. I am ruthlessly honest about the fact that I use tidying my environment as an avoidance to the creative process. I will always clean up my desk instead of working, so I make sure I do all my cleaning and tidying at a set time, so it doesn’t interfere with my writing time.
3. Self-discipline: Schedule the minimum number of writing sessions that you can’t get out of. Your brain gets used to regularity and set patterns, so if you put writing in your schedule, your brain will expect it. What we’re trying to do is set up writing as a habit.
4. Craftsmanship: One thing you don’t need in order to write is a magical gift or innate talent. Writing is a craft anyone can learn. You need to treat writing as a craft and connect the desire to tell a story with the discipline it takes to show up on a regular basis and tell that story. When I started writing, I treated it like I was learning to become a graphic designer. I took classes, read books on craft, and treated writing as a craft to learn.
5. Self-confidence: Whatever it takes, you have to turn off any doubt and believe that people want to hear your story. You have to believe that your idea is worth pursuing. When a good journalist pursues a story, they must believe in it to commit to researching and hunting down their leads. The same goes for fiction writing.

What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a great writer? (i.e. perseverance, discipline, play, craft study). Can you share a story or example?

Consistency — just showing up at the same time every week. To get good at this, I needed to start a writing group where the expectation was that I was going to show up and run the group. I couldn’t make an excuse to not go. Because I set up that expectation for myself, I was able to start a consistent writing habit.

Which literature do you draw inspiration from? Why?

A lot is from cyberpunk literature — William Gibson is a favorite. Samuel Delaney is also one of my favorite people — I read Dhalgren twice. I also love Frank Herebert’s Dune series, and Harlan Ellison. I’m interested in writers who ask the question: what does it mean to be human? To me, this is why science fiction is so important. You can talk about intense things, but through robots, or something that’s easier for people to deal with.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

By starting Shut Up & Write 15 years ago, I began laying the foundations for the change I want to see in the world. We’re not only a writing community, but a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping and educating writers. As our community continues to grow, we will be able to put more focus on the nonprofit component, whose mission is to ensure that all kids know how to write. I believe that critical thought is key to empowerment, and there are few better ways to teach critical thought than through writing.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can not only follow us, you can be a part of the work we’re doing at Shut Up & Write by visiting www.shutupwrite.com. Come join us and be part of our writing community!

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.