Seven Qualities of Successful Writers

Writing is easy, but doing it well, and being a commercial success as a writer is a completely different ball game. Here are some of the qualities that I believe are helpful, if you want to be a successful writer in the modern world.

This opinion piece is based on my 10 years of experience in the publishing industry. I earn my living as a writer, and wouldn’t have succeeded if I’d given up, didn’t have the drive, wasn’t disciplined, or wasn’t prepared to improve.

1. Perseverance

The writers who succeed are usually those who’ve tried, failed, and tried again. It took me 20 years to go from aspiring writer to professional writer, and another 10 to finish the novel. Writing requires dedication and perseverance. If you don’t stick with it through the bad times and numerous rejections, you’re less likely to be successful in the long run.

2. Drive and Passion

You need to feel drive and passion for writing, as this will give you the determination and stamina to succeed in this difficult business. It’s a challenging industry, and making a living is quite hard as publishers squeeze writers and authors as part of their cost-cutting exercises. I’ve had fees fall from £700 to £50 — for the same amount of work in the same magazine. You’ve got to have a certain drive and passion for your writing when you’re being treated like that! (ps. I don’t work for them anymore!)

3. Humility

You might think your writing is brilliant, but we all have room for improvement. Writing is a journey — a constant process of learning and improvement. It’s a way to express yourself, but also to recognize when your English is flawed and can be improved. It took me 10 years as a professional freelance writer before I found out that ‘no-one’ isn’t usually hyphenated! Who knew? Not me. Not until now. I also used too many commas at the start of my writing career.

4. Resilience

When you’re a writer, rejection is inevitable. It’s part of the process, and you need to have some resilience, to be able to accept the constant rejections. Whether it’s a bad book review or a rejection from a magazine editor or Medium publication, take on board any useful feedback, learn from it, and move on quickly. It’s just part of the writing game. There are always new outlets for your work.

5. Discipline

It’s easy to be distracted by social media, or whatever’s going on outside, but you really need to focus if you’re going to be a productive writer. This means having a disciplined approach. Set aside a dedicated period of time for writing. I write every day because it’s my job, but if you have a full-time job already, you could set aside a few hours a week to dedicate to your writing — more if you can find the time!

6. Focus

You need to focus on the project at hand if you’re going to get it finished. A lot of writers have projects on their computers that have never been finished. My novel, Pestilence, was unfinished for 30 years. My guinea pig book took 10 years to complete, and it’s not even very long. Fortunately, that’s because I was focusing on the important work — the work that pays the mortgage — the magazine articles. So decide what matters in your writing and focus on it.

7. Patience

Writing takes time. Publishing takes time. Trying to find an agent and sell a story idea takes time. Marketing takes time. Even getting paid can take years! There are few occupations, or hobbies, that require more patience on so many levels — although bird watching and wildlife photography might be up there with the best. You need to have patience if you’re going to be a professional writer, or the delays might just drive you crazy!

That’s all folks! Happy writing!

(c) Susie Kearley