The Importance of Persistence

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The determination to keep going no matter what  - is what every writer needs. We must never be discouraged because we aren’t making a living by selling our books and articles. Very few writers become this successful. Even today’s big names have had other jobs while they were writing that great novel. We do all have to pay the bills.


Even though writing is a hard business, you have to keep writing and studying and submitting your work. You will only get better at your craft by writing often.

Today we live in an exciting time to be a writer because we are no longer limited to submitting our work to agents and publishing houses. It’s become acceptable to self-publish your books today, so that leaves the door wide open for getting your work in front of the reader. Of course, this easy way of putting your book out there doesn’t excuse you from getting your work edited. We have to do our very best to put forth the best books possible. This means hours and hours of revisions to get it ready for an editor and proofreader to look at. Perhaps this process will take several years, but in the end, you know you did your best.

Indie authors have to try harder to make sure they deliver a good book because many believe it to be unacceptable if it is self-published and doesn’t have that stamp from a big publishing house. Even though self-publishing is looked down on, it is still becoming more mainstream every day. Some people think that an indie book will be poorly written and full of errors, but this is far from true. I have picked up many a book by a big publishing house and found errors in it. In fact, this happens all the time. I have also picked up indie books and found them written well with a charming story between the pages. I think the reader is beginning to realize this.

When setting out to write a book there are some things you can do.

Write, write, and write!

Set yourself a goal of so many words a day and keep at it. If you think about it, and plan and make notes, but never get started, nothing will happen. If you can manage to write 1000 words a day (approx 4 pages), it won’t be long and you’ll have the rough draft of a novel that you can begin rewriting and polishing.

Read as Much as You Can

You should read as much as extra time allows and across several genres. Reading helps you become a better writer. You will begin to notice writing structure, style, flow, and this will help you in your own endeavors. Obviously, this is the easiest way to study and see how other writers write scenes and weave their novels into marvelous tales. You should also read as many books on writing that you can get your hands on. They are full of advice on every issue you might encounter while writing.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you can get in the habit of a daily writing ritual, in a year or two you may have surprised yourself. You may have a couple of novels under your belt by then. With each one, you’ll only get better because your writing skills improve over time. You’ll begin to see things you could have done differently, etc.

So far, I have three self-published novels and I feel like I’ve learned so much since I finished my first one in 2008. Even though it is still my best seller, I feel that if I wrote the book today, I could improve it in so many ways. My feeling is genre makes a difference. I would caution you about picking a genre to write in, but you have to write what you want to write, even when the audience may be smaller.

Things have a way of changing over time, so you never know when, for example, vampire tales won’t be as popular as they are today, another genre replacing it. (No, my first book is not about vampires.) I only use that example because today these books are so popular that they inundate the market.

Don’t Lose Sight of Your Perception

You may be discouraged by the number of writers and books engulfing the marketplace today, but don’t let that bother you. You are a writer too and there is plenty of room for a good writer. Just keep writing and honing your craft. Don’t think too big in the beginning so you won’t be discouraged if you don’t live up to the demands you place on yourself. Instead, set smaller goals and then once you reach them, set more. In the meantime, you are writing and studying about writing. You know what you want and over time, you’ll be able to achieve it if you don’t give up.

Be Persistent

There really is no other choice if you want to succeed as a writer. Don’t ever give up when things start to seem impossible. They are not impossible to achieve, if you really believe in them. Don’t ever let anyone discourage you from your dream. Persistence pays off in every aspect of your life. It just may take awhile.