I have witnessed a number of friends who started out with such promising writing careers, either from the opportunities that they got or their sheer talent, only to have their writing future cut short.
From them I’ve learned a few things on what to avoid to keep my writing career or at least my interest in it, going strong.
1. Never procrastinate
When you have a job to do, get it done now. If you put it aside even just for a while, you will lose momentum. By the time you start on it, either you’re already at a lost on how to begin or you’re already suffering from the dreaded writer’s block.
2. Don’t think of it as a job
Writing is a passion. When you start considering it as just another job to earn money, that’s when you work like a factory worker in a mass production line. You churn out articles after articles without putting any love on each of them. Passion needs love for it to work. Love your writing and you’ll never feel like you’re writing to work again.
3. Take a time off
Burnout is lethal to any career and a writer is never immune to it. Learn to reject writing projects once in a while. Drop down your pen even if just for a day and do something relaxing instead.
4. Pick your fights
Writers are naturally protective of their works and it shows the most on reporters. Unless you’re a freelancer, we all have our own bosses (usually called the editor or the publisher). When he tells you to change something in your work, be lenient. As long as it’s within reason, indulge him. That does not mean you should always be a ‘yes man’. All I’m saying here is fight when you think you are right and fight when you think you can win it.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Very true!!
It is hard to get back to writing not because you have lost interest but it’s because you have prioritized doing something else… either your full-time job or something else.
I am still trying my best to get ‘there’.
I hope it will be very soon!
Hi Rach,
I’m sure you will. I think you just need to settle some things first so you can focus on your writing.
These are good pointers. I have to consent…lol…I have rejected some writing assignments because I feel I won’t do justice to them and I don’t feel comfortable writing them. I can see you’re back and in top shape. Best regards.
Got some short and sweet reminders here.
This is so true especially when you think you have all the will and energy to finish some writing tasks then all of a sudden you lose interest to continue. It is really a challenge to pick up when you lose interest in what you do, like finishing some writing jobs.
Learned a lot from this article of yours. It’s true that once you procrastinate, the next thing that will likely happen is you either lose momentum or become confused of what to do next.
That happens to me a lot of times especially if I am really tired and stressed out.. =(