14 Things I’ve Learned About Writing

Lessons learned from my first year as a professional writer

Since becoming a full-time writer last year, I’ve learned that the things we think are true of writing aren’t. What it takes to get up every morning and face the blank page is a set of habits — these are the practices that sustain you when your own will or drive to succeed simply won’t.

Here are 14 of them:

1. Don’t do it for money, fame, or accolades. The money won’t last, fame is fickle, and who the hell cares if you get a pat on the back? Do it because you love it.
2. Practice in public. We tend to do our best work when other people are watching. That’s when the real pressure is on. Until you put your stuff out there for the world to see, you’re just playing around.
3. Don’t wait for discipline. That’s like waiting for muscles before you go to the gym. Discipline is the byproduct of doing the work. Just show up.
4. Write every day. No matter what, you must put words down on page. This is the only technique that works. There’s no substitute for practice; you can’t fake your way to excellence.
5. Trust the process. Genius doesn’t exist and inspiration isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Great work comes only with great effort.
6. Quitting is for amateurs. So is writer’s block. There will always be roadblocks and reasons to quit — write through them.
7. Kill the excuses. There are a thousand reasons to not write and only one to write: because you have to. It will never be any easier than it is right now.
8. Writing is a craft. That means there are rules to follow (and sometimes break). These are loose rules that are changing all the time, but don’t think you’re being an artist by breaking a rule without knowing it. There’s a word for that: lazy.
9. Don’t worry about being good. Worry about being effective. People’s definition of “good” changes every day. Just be true to your voice and honor the craft.
10. Cut the fluff. Writing isn’t about pretty words. It’s about being understood. Brevity isn’t always better, but as you get better, your work will become shorter.
11. Reach one. Don’t write for the masses; write for one person who needs to hear your message and speak directly to her.
12. Getting published isn’t what you think it is. It won’t make you rich and won’t make you famous. But it will make you more self-conscious. And whether or not it ever happens to you doesn’t affect your responsibility to get up and do your work.
13. Stop obsessing over perfect. Perfectionists don’t make things perfect; they make themselves, and those around them, miserable because their work never feels good enough.
14. When in doubt, make art. If you aren’t sure what to do or if you even qualify to call yourself a writer in the first place, write something. Don’t worry about the approval or critics or what your friends will think. Just create.

In the end, this is what makes a writer: not a perfect track record or an inordinate amount of talent, just the ability to continue. And the only way I know how to do that is through simple, everyday habits — none of which are sexy or glamorous. But then again, the best things in life rarely are.