To succeed as a writer, you must banish amateur habits.
Among the top ‘destructive’ habits of amateur writers are:
- Writing only when you feel like it
- Giving up when the going gets tough.
- Not finding the strength to finish what you have started.
Here are some mindset shifts you ought to undertake to see success in writing.
Contents
Treat Writing as a Passion
You’re in trouble if you treat writing as a hobby.
What’s a hobby?
It’s an activity you enjoy when you have free time. When the mood moves you. For a hobbyist, writing is optional.
For a pro, writing is mandatory, like brushing your teeth. Writing is something that you must do.
- Turn your writing from a hobby to a passion.
- When you’re passionate about something, you’re always thinking about it.
- When you’re passionate, you always do what you’re passionate about.
Treat writing as a passion you can’t do without.
Even if you’re watching TV, reading, or talking with a friend over the phone, always ask yourself, “Shouldn’t I be writing?“
Ask yourself this question often when you engage in unproductive activities.
Look at the World Through a Writing Lens
Pro writers are always looking to steal ideas from the world around them.
This means plucking ideas from what they see, experience, and read.
When you read something interesting, ask yourself, “How can I use this in my next article or book.”
If you read an interesting news report, ask yourself, “How can this be the embryo for a short story.”
You can even work out an opening sentence in your head.
So, a pro writer works even when he’s not facing a blank page.
Always be thinking – How can I use this in my writing?
You Don’t Need to Be a Full-Time Writer
Do you need to be a full-time writer to think like a Pro Writer?
You can think like a pro writer even if you write in your spare time.
You can think like a professional writer even if you’ve not published anything or made money.
Nobody can stop you from thinking like a pro writer.
Action Steps
- Decide that you’ll think like a professional writer
- Practice and internalize at least one pro writer habit
- When you feel like giving up, remind yourself that you’re a pro writer
Homework
Compile a list of pro writer habits.
Select one habit to make it your own.
When you’ve successfully adopted it, move on to the next.
For example, after adopting the habit of writing every day, you may want to adopt the habit of finishing everything you write, no matter how bad it appears.
Keep on owning more pro writer habits.
