Ditch These 3 Habits If You Want To Be A Successful Writer

There is more to being a successful author than simply hard work and talent, especially when it seems that some writers can succeed without either. 

This may sound harsh, but I know you've picked up a book from the shelf once or twice and wondered how a book like that made it past a publisher's desk. 

To write your book you know exactly what you have to do. You have your idea, now you only need to write it. 

Let's talk about three things you shouldn't be doing to help you achieve your writing goals and give you your best chance at success. 

1. Procrastination 

Enemy Number One of all writers? "I'll do it tomorrow." 

If you were to sit down and give me one hundred and one reasons why you are putting your book off until the next day, the next week, even the next minute I would sit there and tell you one hundred and one times that you are making up excuses and putting off your writing for all the wrong reasons. 

Are there right reasons to procrastinate? Not really. There are reasons you may not be able to write such as injury or prior obligations, but honestly, nothing truly takes up an entire day, and lying down recovering is one of the best times to write as you have the time to do so. 

Or you can make it. 

2. Seeking Perfection 

Perfection is paralyzing to a writer. 

In writing there is no such thing as perfection. Even if you tear apart the classics and world-renowned stories you will find flaws, plot holes, typos, and more. 

Striving for a flawless draft is an impossibility that will only leave you in heartbreak. Embrace the imperfection in a messy draft. That's why it's a draft. You can make as many of them as you want to try and polish your story to the best of your ability, but there comes a point when you need to let it go, let it live its own life, and make its own mistakes. 

3. Comparing Yourself To Others 

I will never write like Shakespeare and chances are I will never be as famous or as popular as Shakespeare, but that shouldn't mean I should never write. Right? 

Every author is on their journey. You can't compare milestones as if they were summer camp badges that could have been earned in a group activity. 

Some authors go to fantasy camps, some go to science camps, some don't attend camp until they are fifty, and some start back when they first learned how to write. 

Don't measure your progress against anyone else but yourself. 

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Best of luck on your writing journey. 

Now go write! 

-B. xo xo

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This story was originally posted on Medium.

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