Living a successful writer's life

What does it take to live a successful writer's life?

That's the million-dollar question, right? What does it look like when an author brings it all together? What does it take to make that magical potion of motivation, execution, luck, and perseverance? I believe, with equal measures of hope and disappointment, that there is no single answer. Geraldine Solon is a Bay Area author who will be speaking this weekend about how she has built up her writing life, gotten several bestsellers and two books optioned for movies, and what it takes to do that.

In my own quest, there are elements that I've seen in those authors who are successful that stand out and I try to emulate.

Top Five

1. Write Every Day: Regardless of what else is going on, or perhaps because of it, I find that I want and need to write every day. This doesn't have to be a lot or part of a particular project, but it needs to happen because of some internal urge. And it is good for the craft. There is plenty of advice for writers out there, but this is one tip I see come up time and time again. I used to shoot for a certain number of words each day or to write at a particular time each day. I still do that sometimes with a particular project, but that's not the point. The point for me is that I need to sit down and write intentionally at least once a day. Make the space and do it. Even if everything is terrible for weeks on end, the habit reinforces itself, and when the good sentence or three is sitting in my brain, I've got the habit in place to get it out without losing it.

2. Meet Other Writers: I used to struggle a lot with this. For about 10 years I worked in the outdoor education industry, and I loved it. I wrote a lot and would publish zines that those around me loved. They still contact me and say they hang onto those zines, and that they love them. That's rewarding and in its own way successful. But five years ago, I decided to "become a professional writer" and I realized that I actually didn't know any other writers very well. Over the past five years, I've made a point of seeking out successful writers and talking with them, working with them, and becoming friends when it was a good match. I can honestly say that the majority of work opportunities, online exposure, and meaningful tips and tricks I've gotten come from writers I've met and kept in touch with. It's important, and I think it's integral to success. We need a network. None of us can do it all alone.

3. Read: You see this a lot, and I'm sure you heard it from your high school English teacher. I did. I've been a big reader all my life, and only in the past few years have I started to understand just how important it is. But just saying, "read more" is not a real piece of advice. Understanding that what I read will have a (sometimes major) influence on what I think about and how I write is the key. What I read is like food. If I eat certain things, I'll feel and act a certain way. If I read certain poetry or books or thoughts, I start to think about those things and craft my sentences in similar ways. It's delicate, and it can be disastrous or powerful. Read intentionally to get your brain in shape for your next assignment.

4. Edit: This is a quick but important lesson I learned. When I was younger, I was committed to this idea that I would write in the moment and that I couldn't change it later. I didn't think it was authentic. It was my loose interpretation of Jack Kerouac's approach to writing free and wild and from the moment. I still get some great stuff that way, but I can say that pretty much everything I have that is any good to read has been edited by both me and other people.

5. Thank You: To be a writer means to constantly be stealing and borrowing from life, the people around you, the stuff you read and a million other sources. To be a successful writer, I believe I need to thank those sources from the bottom of my heart with an explosive true gratitude that conveys to them that I am creating something new from what I take and that I will always be grateful. It's an isolating but also invasive business, this writing thing. We take from the world around us and make it our own. Say thank you. Be grateful.

Images courtesy of DannyGetz via flickr and mtsofan via flickr

I'll be part of a Writer.ly PubCamp workshop day for authors on Saturday, May 18 in San Francisco. Each day this week I'll be writing some of my own tips and tricks based on the topics that day will cover. If you or someone you know is interested and in the SF Bay Area, find out more here.