The most important factor in getting published and finding success in writing is not talent, but discipline. The ability to make a daily habit of writing will do more to guarantee success than any amount of raw talent. There are many talented singers and musicians who never make a dime from their art because they don’t consistently work toward their goals.

The same is true of writers.

There are scores of incredibly talented writers in the world that will never be published because they never develop the habit of a daily writing schedule. If you are serious about writing and getting published, you need to make writing everyday a discipline. That might sound like it strips all the magic out of storytelling, but the craft of fiction is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. The only way to take a novel from idea to finished product is to write even when the writing is difficult.

What separates the winners from the losers is writing on the days you don’t feel like it.

As an after thought I would add; if you don’t enjoy the process of writing, why would you want to be a writer? I know a lot of wannabes that love the idea of being a writer, but hate the act of writing. Seems strange to me. I started writing because I love to do it. If I had the time and the energy, I’d write 10k words a day. Nothing beats the high I get from writing.

Bottom line, if you want to be a novelist, develop the habit of 1000 words a day. Like the Bible says, “Seek and you will find.” If you keep working at it, day in and day out, sooner or later something you write is going to get published.

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