Comments on What Does It Take To Succeed As A Writer? Here's My Theory:

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She must have put you off Canadians completely, right, Jazwolf, lol?

That pretty well sums up that nightmare, I'm sure, the bipolar amoral Canadian girl.  Canadians, just can't trust 'em...(btw, for the benefit of Canadian readers, some of my best friends are Canadians, it's a joke). 

posted by Blanche. on December 3, 2006 at 8:03 AM | link to this | reply

Blanche--- You are correct. Confidence comes as you get positive

feedback from editors, even from editors who reject your work but encourage you to submit more. I'm not Canadian, by the way, although I have been mistaken for such. LOL. My former girlfriend, the bipolar, amoral, eHarmony nightmare, however, was Canadian.

posted by Jazwolf on December 3, 2006 at 7:58 AM | link to this | reply

WritersJourney--- Thanks for reading. You make some good points.

I don't necessarily agree with you about one succeeding as a writer simply by writing. My point is this: Just because a person owns a stethoscope and other medical equipment, he can not suddenly call himself a doctor and start practicing medicine. Just because a person watches hundreds of Law & Order episodes, she can not suddenly begin to practice law. And just because a person can speak the language and write it, he is not necessarily a writer. In other words, I believe that action and desire are not enough. They must be coupled with skill for someone who writes to be a "writer."

posted by Jazwolf on December 3, 2006 at 7:52 AM | link to this | reply

I guess that's true of any endeavor, Jazwolf, faking it never pays off.

Persistence plus skill plus luck sounds like a good combination.  I suppose you need all three equally, but, as you said, skill develops with perserverance as well as confidence.  Am I right?

posted by Blanche. on December 3, 2006 at 7:46 AM | link to this | reply

Blanche--- Persistence also (for most) leads inevitably to development

of skills. Persistence plus skill plus luck equals getting published. "Faking it" might get you published--- once or twice--- but it definitely is not the way to go long-term.

posted by Jazwolf on December 3, 2006 at 7:42 AM | link to this | reply

Jazwolf, so talent is no guarantee, but persistence almost certainly is?

Even if the skill is not there,  is that a case of "fake it til you make it?"

posted by Blanche. on December 3, 2006 at 7:39 AM | link to this | reply

RedScribe--- Those who are the most persistent, strangely enough, often

are the luckiest. Good luck with your writing. And thanks for reading.

posted by Jazwolf on December 3, 2006 at 7:35 AM | link to this | reply

Re: writing success

Thanks for the post- good, sound advice. I agree with having to write every day. I don't know if I'll ever be taken seriously as a writer, but what I do know is that I have to write every day. I have to, because I don't know how not to. If I'm lucky, maybe that's a skill I can use to my advantage...

posted by RedScribe on December 2, 2006 at 8:04 PM | link to this | reply

Writing Success

I always try to keep in mind that I cannot assume that my efforts in writing will be rewarded by others -- after all, nobody actually asked me to try to make a career out of writing. So, writing must have its own intrinsic rewards. I believe that one succeeds as a writer simply by writing -- regardless of whether or not one is published. Being published is a bonus -- for some people it is a curse. Natalie Goldberg always comments on this during her writing workshops. One thing is certain, if one wants to be a commercial success at writing, one must write every single day -- one must have a regular working routine for writing each day. And one must read extensively those works, topics and styles of writing that interest one. And, of course -- as you have mentioned -- one has to know how to target, market, and promote one's work.

posted by writersjourney on December 1, 2006 at 6:25 PM | link to this | reply

Good post with lot of material of writers .

posted by afzal50 on November 30, 2006 at 9:16 PM | link to this | reply

It does work best if there is both talent and skill.

A little luck never hurts either.

posted by Whacky on November 30, 2006 at 8:49 PM | link to this | reply

I could not agree more...

but I am not that good at following advice. English is a hard language to fully grasp. My aim is to write like a "native", whatever that may mean. I find that the more I learn, the less I feel I know. There is so much that I miss, in the way of subtlties in the language. Learning is all part of the fun.

posted by marieclaire66 on November 30, 2006 at 12:24 PM | link to this | reply