4 Things Writers Need to Do to Find Fulfillment and Avoid Frustration

by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted

There are four steps in finding order in your writing, so let me begin by telling you what they aren’t. Order in your writing is not a neat desk or a fancy file labeled with multi-colored tabs. It’s not the perfect pen or pad or even a well-organized office. Finding order in your writing is resetting the mindset.

As a new author, and honestly—sometimes as a seasoned author, we have a certain mindset about our writing career. I call it the “white picket fence” thought process—or what we think becoming published means. New writers attend their first conference with pages of written work, attend those 15-minute appointments, and walk away disappointed. It breaks my heart to see enthusiastic writers crumble because of false impressions of the industry. 

That’s why we’re starting the new year with some order to the chaos. Here are a few things to help you reset your mindset, build your self-esteem, and fire up your writing career.

Four Steps to Finding Order in Your Writing

1. Learn the craft: If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Learn the art of writing. Buy books, study, attend conferences, pay attention to those keynotes, and conference teachers. Buy the mp3s and take them home for year-long training. Join a critique group. Practice. Practice. Practice. You may have a college degree in writing, but the rules change when you step into the pages of a novel. Study books in the genre you love to write in and learn style, cadence, and description. You cannot walk into a conference and expect a contract for your book until you know the craft.

2. Write a manuscript: It’s a myth these days that you can walk up to a publisher and sell an unwritten manuscript. Alright, it happens, like .00001% of the time. The days of “old school” publishing are gone. Publishers do not have the staff or money to wine and dine authors as they did forty years ago—unless you’re a Prince Harry, they’ll take whatever and make it ready to publish because they’ll earn their investment, plus some, back. A writer must have a clear picture painted for a platform and marketing and be a decent writer with a unique spin on a topic. Manuscripts are a dime a dozen, and yours must shine and rise to the top to gain the attention of a publisher. You must write before you can sell. This leads me to the next point.

3. Accept that having an agent doesn’t come first: Attending a conference and talking with agents is wonderful. However, the hidden truth is new writers go for the gold before they’ve won the heat. Once again, unless there is a manuscript to sell, there is no need to sweat over attaining an agent. They cannot sell what is not written. If you are a new writer, talk with agents. Network. Let them read your work and guide you on trends and writing levels. Once you get that polished manuscript ready, then worry about gaining an agent. They may show an interest in what you have written, but again, a well-established agent will probably not sign a writer without a completed manuscript or at least one that is nearly complete. So often, I see new writers devasted because an agent did not pick them up. Don’t be. Gaining an agent is a step in the publishing process. Learn the steps and work toward the goal. You’ll eventually get where you want to go.

4. Seek out critique groups and writing coaches/mentors: This is well spent time and sometimes money depending on your need. Critique groups are wonderful, especially groups like Word Weavers, Intl. You’ll gain great feedback with encouragement and direction. Once you have a manuscript, taking time to invest in your manuscript by hiring a coach or mentor will help you polish and work out any bugs before you begin to pitch your work. A good critique group or mentor is never a waste of time or money.

When you learn the order of your writing career, you are able to set attainable and realistic goals. You will work on a more productive level when you understand the steps to publication. Let’s recap what order in your writing IS:

• Pray, Pray, Pray
• Learn the craft
• Join a critique group
• Write a manuscript
• Attend conferences and network
• Invest in a coach or mentor
• Complete a manuscript
• Write a proposal
• Seek an agent
• Begin the next project

Reset your mindset and make a plan. Working your plan in the right order will lead you in the right direction with your writing career.

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4 Things Writers Need to Do to Find Fulfillment and Avoid Frustration from @CindyDevoted on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and she is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and WWW.CHRISTIANDEVOTIONS.US, as well as WWW.INSPIREAFIRE.COM. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at WWW.CINDYSPROLES.COM or www.wramsforwriters.com.