Author mindset

People sometimes imagine writing is something that just happens when a novelist sits down at their keyboard.  The author taps into their inner source of creativity, words pour onto the page and a novel is born.  The creative element is essential, of course.  Without that source of inspiration there’s no story and nothing to draw the reader into the world you’ve created.

However, the ability to write is only part of the equation.  To be able to put a novel-length story together requires a certain mindset.  This becomes even more important if you’re serious about writing long-term and want to be able to write more than one book.

In this post I explore my approach and attitudes to writing.

This is not easy – be prepared for hard graft

Talent by itself is not enough.  Yes, we can all point to gifted individuals who sat down to write one day and hit the bestseller lists with their debut novel 12 months later.  This is the exception, not the rule.  Most authors need to persevere at their writing, putting together that first draft, going through the pain of editing it and working on those second, third and fourth drafts etc. until the book is finally polished and ready for submission.

Novel writing is not easy and you need to be realistic.  You couldn’t run a marathon without committing to a training regime in order to prepare your body.  Nor could you play an instrument in a symphony orchestra without a huge amount of dedicated practice.  Writing to publishable standard is no different.  The bar is set incredibly high if you’re looking at traditional publication or to stand out from the crowd in the self-published market.  The old adage that being good isn’t good enough really does apply here.  A writer has to be prepared to dedicate themselves to honing their writing craft and finding their distinctive voice as an author.

This goes beyond the writing.  It’s easy to be an undiscovered author.  However, if you want your books to be read then you need to find ways to connect with your potential audience.  I’m still learning the ropes when it comes to this side of the business but I’m talking here about things like this blog, building your author website, developing your presence on social media and marketing.  Whilst writing an excellent novel is the cornerstone, you have to embrace all this other stuff if you’re serious about turning this into something more than a hobby.

Manage your time

‘I don’t know how you find the time.’  This is one of the most common reactions when people learn I’m a writer.  Most authors, myself included, also have a day job and many will have to juggle the responsibilities of family life around their writing.

That means finding the time to do this isn’t easy.  You’ll have to make sacrifices and, crucially, build writing into your routine.  I do most of my writing in the evening between 9:00 and 11:00.  However, I’m actually more productive in the morning, so for the past 12 months I’ve been getting up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to work on my books.  That change in my routine has really improved my writing speed.  In the evening I’m often tired and the word count at the end of the night can be low.  Adding those weekend writing sessions enabled me to go from an average of 18 months per book to writing my last one in 12.  That’s going from the outline concept, world-building, completing the first draft, editing, finalising the manuscript and sending this out to various publishers.  It’s all about finding a routine that works for you.

Writing can be an all-consuming passion, so one key lesson here is to make sure you don’t sacrifice the important stuff in the name of art.  Make time for your other hobbies and interests and don’t neglect your family and friends.  Your writing isn’t some trump card that means you can walk away from all your other responsibilities, so there’s a balance to be struck here.  For example, I cut back on TV and made sure I only watched programmes I really enjoyed.  I was amazed at how this one simple change gave me back so much time in the evening.  I also have a low maintenance garden!

Be prepared for rejection

Unfortunately, the world is not waiting with bated breath for your next act of genius, despite all your hard work.  You have to earn your place amongst millions (yes, millions) of other titles.  This means you have to be patient and more importantly learn how to cope with rejection.  Most successful authors will sell a few thousand copies of their latest release.  By definition, this means that the vast majority of people didn’t buy it.  Most of them probably haven’t even heard of the author, never mind the latest title.

This means you have to cultivate your own specific audience and build on that, providing a platform for your readership to slowly grow over time.  If you set out with the goal of achieving overnight success you’re likely to be disappointed.

The subjective nature of writing also means people are entitled to their opinion.  If someone leaves you a five-star review on Amazon that’s great.  If it’s a one-star review and they couldn’t get beyond the first fifty pages that’s also fine.  People are under no obligation to enjoy your writing, and that includes your family and friends.  Personally, I’d rather leave a review for books I’ve really enjoyed, because I want them to find a wider audience and to support authors I like.  I don’t think it’s appropriate to leave vindictive and unpleasant reviews, especially those that personally attack an author.  Remember, the author is a person too and they spent a huge amount of time writing their book and getting it ready for publication.  Authors are entitled to write stuff you as the reader don’t like.  However, constructive criticism is fine and that kind of rejection can be useful if there are lessons to be learned, as I explain below.

Read widely

There are lots of tips on how to improve your craft but I believe the single most important one is reading widely, ideally both within and outside your genre.  Back in 2011 I received a thoughtful rejection letter from an agent who suggested I check out a number of fantasy authors I’d never heard of.  I bought a selection and discovered the world of fantasy fiction had changed massively whilst I was busy writing my book.  The standard was much higher than what I was producing and I realised I needed to completely rethink my approach and, frankly, my work ethic.  Those fresh perspectives from new writers sparked ideas that I found myself using in my next novel.  A few years later that book was finished and within a few months I was an agented author.

If I’m honest, this is the area I struggle with the most.  I’m a slow reader and my to be read pile grows year on year.  However, it’s also really important and once you’ve learned how to critically read the work of another author (as well as enjoying the story) it’s a massive help in working through issues of structure, characterisation and plot in your own writing.

Conclusion

Coming back to my first point, these things don’t ‘just happen’ but they are attainable habits and routines.  It’s not my intention to discourage anyone from writing.  However, if your goal is to get your books ‘out there’ through whatever route then I think these are the most important attributes for any author and it’s how I’ve approached my own writing.  For any budding authors out there, I hope you found this post useful and I wish you all the best for your own writing endeavours.