Keep Your Writing Life Out of the Dumps

Keep Your Writing Life Out of the Dumps

It’s easy to get down during bad economic times like these.

So here’s a 10-point checklist to keep your writing life out of the dumps:

1) Work hard on being a better writer every day, whatever it takes.

2) Don't let rejection keep you down for too long. It goes with the territory and despite the pain it brings you must find a way to leap over it and keep writing as well as you can.

3) Remember that networking is important. You need to talk to publishers and editors constantly, as well as other writers. You need to get on the inside looking out, rather than the other way around. Face to face meetings are the best, followed by phone calls, followed by emails or snail mail.

4) Read, read, read—not only the greats from the past but also the greats of the present, as well as trade publications and writing books and news about our business. Immerse yourself.

5) Be as creative as possible and keep looking for different ways to get into the game of publishing.

6) Finish things. Don’t write halfway through a story or novel or article and give up. Complete it and send it out for publication somewhere.

7) Reassess where you are in your development and what you need to do to reach the next level.

8) Find more time to write. Take advantage of every opportunity to find a quiet, alone moment to sit down at your writing desk or wherever else you write. It’s not easy to find sometimes, but you must try.

9) Steer clear of negative people, of spiritless naysayers and other going-nowhere types. They will bring you down way faster than you pull them up.

10) Write down your goals and check them off as you complete them.

And good luck!

Best always and stay positive,

Mike