What it takes to get published

At the beginning of the year, a lot of authors blogged about what you have to do to get published. Joe Konrath wrote an excellent Mantra For Writers that should be read by all who strive to build a writing career.

So here's my take on what writers must do.

You must write - not talk about it, think about it, dream about it. Do it.

You must write consistently - not when The Muse inspires you, not when your house is clean, not when everything in Life is running smoothly. Just do it regardless of what is going on around you.

You must strive to improve - practice indeed makes perfect, or at least better.

You must put your work out there in the marketplace - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

You must persist when rejected - because you will be rejected. Everyone is.

You must believe in yourself - even when no one else does - especially when no one else does.

You must remember why you began writing in the first place - because you love putting words together.

You must accept that you may never get that lucky break - because this is a business where luck plays a part. Your path to success may be the long road of hard work and persistence, not the short cut paved with luck. You write anyway.

Do you see the commonality in my little essay? Action. Doing it. It's not enough to have a goal. You have to put action with the goal on a regular basis if you're to have a chance at the brass ring.

You write because it is what you do. You write because you are a story teller, an ancient and honored profession. You write because translating the vision inside your head into words on paper is of paramouont importance to you. God knows why, and sometimes He is the only one who knows. But you do it anyway.