Here are some useful habits that can help you on the road to success as a writer:

BE PART OF THE TRIBE: Writing can be a lonely pastime. Develop a circle of creative contacts. A network can be invaluable. Getting high-quality feedback is essential, so try to find a group or workshop where you can get honest and rigorous feedback. Meeting with other writers and going to events also helps you find out about publishing opportunities.

VORACIOUS READING: If you don’t have time to read, you can’t be a writer. If you’re immersed in contemporary literature, your writing will be the better for it. You don’t need to like everything you read, but you need to know who is doing what in your chosen field.

BE SUPERSTITIOUS: One unusual thing often commented upon is the odd selection of habits that creative people develop. Many successful writers have admitted to having lucky charms or strange rituals. Writer Muriel Spark would never write fiction with a pen anyone else had used. Some writers can only write at their own desk, in their own study, not at a laptop. Objects and rituals can act as associative triggers that help us get into the right emotional state.

STOCK THE POND: Keep replenishing your stock of ideas. Go for a walk; visit a local gallery or museum; browse in an interesting shop….or read something wonderful that sparks your own inspiration.

ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES: Prioritize your writing time. Set aside a special time and ‘surround it with barbed wire.’ Don’t discuss your work until it’s done. Negative comments can stop you in your tracks. If asked what your book is about, you can say: “:The usual”; “I wish I knew” or “Not sure, to be perfectly frank.”

WRITE: You are not a writer unless you are writing. We all have excuses for not finding the time. Make sure you write something – every working day.

Good luck. I am here to help you (free) with any writing problems. Contact me direct at dwaysman@gmail.com for any help you need, or to ask about copies of my books. I am always happy to hear your comments.