Thank you! It’s great that you have a real passion for writing. Sure, I think we all have daydreams about being famous, but that has to be tempered with more realistic thoughts.

For me, it’s also about passion. Writing for fame alone is no reason to write. Great writers have a passion for what they do and therefore they try to do it as well as they can.

The publishing industry is fickle. All one can do is try one’s best to produce a marketable idea.
.-= Read Beth L. Gainer´s last article ..Advocacy When Sick, Part II: Quality Control =-.

I agree with you. There are always different perspectives on things in writing, so thanks for sharing your thoughts. I like what you say about networking in #6. It's great to meet other writers or professionals and have a chance to learn from them. Thanks!

1. Tomorrow I’ll make up for the writing I missed today.

If daily quotas don't work for you, use weekly quotas. If that's too long, make one quota for writing in the morning, one for when you get home from the day job, and one for when you go to bed.

Find a system that works for you.

2. There are so many badly written books out there, mine is bound to get published.

The author is often a terrible judge of the quality of his work… or of the quality of anyone else's. Some books that are "badly written" by scholarly standards get huge sales because they happen to resonate with folks. Just because you think your writing sucks doesn't mean it is. In fact, if you think it sucks, it might be because you CARE about the quality of the writing, and therefore it's actually much better than you think it is.

Show your work to people who know good books, like agents and editors, and let them judge–and not just one of them, either. Send it to lots of people.

3. I need to come up with a completely original idea for my book.

Chances are good, whatever you think up as an "idea" for a book has been done before. But ideas are easy. What you DO have to come up with is an original execution of that idea. For that reason, you need to be at least passingly familiar with what's out there, so that you know whether your work is going to be judged as "too derivative" by market standards.

On the other hand, as long as you're not actually plagiarizing, there's a lot of merit to the idea of serving the "More like this, please" market.

4. Good writing can’t be taught.

Good writing can't be taught, but it can be learned. What's important is focused study. What is attractive about popular books? How can you bring that quality to your work?

5. Writing a book is my ticket to fame.

You may not get world-famous, but there's a special thrill to having even a few thousand people who say, "Hey, man, I love your work." That's not the kind of fame most folks encounter, and when you get it, you will want more.

6. I’ll never get published because I don’t have any contacts in the industry.

It's never too early to network. The days when a writer can sit alone in his writer's garret, sending off hopeful manuscripts without ever interacting with anyone but his agent are gone. Plan to spend at least a little time getting to know people in the industry, even if they're other hopefuls like you. A rising tide floats all boats, and if you're in the right pond that can be you.

7. I’ll start my book tomorrow.

If you don't feel like you're ready to write THE book, then don't write it. Write it when it's screaming to come out and you'll go mad if you don't. In the meantime, write something else.

Chances are good, the one you're actually working on will be what eventually starts screaming to get out, anyways.

Cheers,
Miche

@Miche: You're quite welcome. And thank you for reading!

@Brandon: Didn't you know I have ESP?