Whether you publish or not, you are a writer. Construct for yourself a writer’s life.
Anne Lamott: If you are not enough before you were published, you are not going to be enough after you publish. Publishing is an interesting thing, but we have this idea that once you get published, everything will change. But that isn’t how it goes. It isn’t going to profoundly validate you . You will have the same problems that you had before.
Write from a place of love.
If you hate what you are doing, you need to stop or teach because you love to teach. I want you to feel good about where you are. You can have a satisfying writing life without getting published.
· Connect with other writers. Don’t let envy take over, though.
· Be in writers groups, in the flesh or online
· Being a part of a book group—you need to read to write better
· Join SCBWI, be a part of the group. Take yourself seriously as a writer.
· Go to conferences
· Go to writerly type events, readings, book launches
· Go on writer retreats, organize a retreat yourself
· Carolyn See, Making a Literary Life. Writing chatty charming notes.
· Susy Led Zeplen and Me, Mark Miller
· The Loser’s Guide to Life and Love
· Blog
· Claudia Mills (Children’s Books): Organize Readings, Slams
· Indulge in some of the little things that make you feel like a writer—notebooks and pens
· Read like a writer. Read for things that knock your socks off and decide why and how.
· Why waste time with books that I don’t love? Thirty pages.
· Subscribe to anything that are about writing and writing craft: querytracker, agent blog
· Keep a book blog
· Create a space where you can write, keep it sacred and “dammit make others respect that space”
· Go to the library and write—have your token or your symbol of writing
· Take yourself seriously as a writer, own it.
· Help other people see that you are serious about your craft
· WRITE!!!!!! Write the damn book!
· Write consistently. 500 words a day M-F 365 days a year and at the end of the year you have a book.