Excellent bit of advice about the true aspects of writing come our way from Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, one of A Pen for Your Thoughts contributing authors. MaryAnn is a widely published, award-winning author. Her novella, A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING, will be released by Harbourlight Books in December 2012.
The ABCs of TopNotch Writing
by MaryAnn Diorio
As
I was growing up, I thought the writing life was a life of glamour, chocolate,
and huge royalty checks. When I became a
writer, I had to make a major paradigm shift in order to survive and succeed in
the writing profession. Some truths I
learned along the way—what I call the ABCs of TopNotch Writing—set me free to
become the writer God created me to be.
What
are the ABCs of TopNotch Writing? They
are Attitude, Business, and Craft. Every successful writer pays close attention
to each of these in order to build a successful writing career. Attitude,
Business, and Craft form a three-legged stool that will wobble if one or more of
the legs is missing.
Attitude is your mindset toward your
writing and toward life in general.
Well-known motivational speaker Zig Ziglar has said that “it is not your
aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude.” So it is with writing. It is not what happens to you that matters as
you build your writing career; it is how you respond to what happens to
you. The circumstance may be out of your
control, but your response to the circumstance is not.
Business is the foundational structure
through which you manage your writing career.
Consider the business aspect of writing as the stewardship side. It is
here that you serve God in administering, investing, and multiplying the
writing gift He has given you for the purpose of building His Kingdom. The business aspect of writing involves
planning, budgeting, and income generation.
It requires constant oversight as you care for the enterprise that the
Master has entrusted to you.
Craft covers the artistic, creative
aspect of your writing career, the aspect that employs the imagination to
fashion stories, poems, essays, and articles.
Craft is where writers like to spend most of their time, and rightly
so. But focusing only on Craft while neglecting the Attitude and Business aspects of your writing career will cause your
three-legged stool to wobble.
So
there you have it. A sure strategy to
writing success: Attitude, Business, and Craft. If you’d like to
learn more about the ABCs of TopNotch Writing, check out my e-book for only
$0.99 on Amazon at
We'd love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the ABCs of TopNotch Writing? Drop us a line.
I had to seriously lower my financial expectations, as well. ;) I think you've summed it up very well.
ReplyDeleteOther important B -- balance. Gotta balance that writer life with the life we live with the normals. Great to see you having such success, Mary Ann.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly it - plain and simple. These three things are the real components to keeping going with this often crazy thing we do called writing. Sometimes I make it too complicated - thinking I have to "do it all" to be successful. But just doing what I can when I can in each of these categories eases the pressure.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Patty. I appreciate your input about financial expectations. While one can earn a good living at writing, one must also be realistic and not go full-time until the right time.
ReplyDeleteMost writers, especially in the beginning of their careers, have other sources of income.
Blessings,
MaryAnn
So good to see you here, Gloria! Yes, you're absolutely right about balance. That's a biggie. Thanks for mentioning it. :)
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you!
Blessings,
MaryAnn
Great point, Jan! I too tend to be an "all-or-nothing" gal, but that kind of thinking and doing can lead to burnout. As Gloria mentioned in her comment, balance is key.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your post. As you so wisely say, "doing what you can ... eases the pressure."
Blessings,
MaryAnn
Thanks so much,Shirley, for the opportunity to post on your wonderful blog. :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
MaryAnn