When asked the advice I would give aspiring authors I always fumble with an answer. There is so much information I wish I’d had when I started writing that I want to share. After giving it a lot of thought, however, I’ve decided my answer would be to be stubborn. Everything boils down to that.
You have to be stubborn and ignore the demon on your shoulder telling you everything you write sucks and push on. Be stubborn and continue to submit your work no matter how many rejections you receive. Be stubborn and edit without mercy because you will get it right and be published. Be stubborn about the time you set aside for your writing and protect it fiercely. Let no one and nothing invade that time because the reality is that there will always be something needing done. Someone will always want your time.
A little rebelliousness doesn’t hurt either. “Don’t tell me I’m not good enough, I am,” and “don’t tell me I can’t write, I know I can,” need to become your mantra. The whole “I’m worthy” attitude needs to be strong and unwavering and come from deep inside you. Write for you and be stubborn, stubborn, stubborn.
