7 Traits of Best-selling Authors: #3 The Elusive Ingredient in Writing Success

It’s a well-known fact that most people who attempt to write a book never finish. Most abandon the project when their initial interest fades. While it takes passion and commitment to persevere to the end of a first draft, making it through multiple versions of the same story calls for something more. The following poem defines that elusive ingredient:

Cracks split the pavement

And nurture weeds,

But in the garden flowers bloom.

I choose my world.

~ by Janalyn Voigt

The title of my poem is Focus. If you focus on an obstacle, it will obstruct your vision. You won’t be able to see beyond it to a solution. Writers often complain that life won’t give them time to write. When you think about it, every writer could fall back on this claim. Those who don’t, give themselves every chance  of success. It’s that simple.

I don’t mean to be unsympathetic. Due to factors beyond their control, some people really don’t have time to write. Sometimes family duties such as single parenting, caring for a terminally-ill loved one, or working overtime can intrude. But even in the face of difficult circumstances, best-selling writers retain a focus on their goals. Renowned author, Stephen Bly, comes to mind. While confined to a hospital bed during the last days of his life, he penned part of a novel.

If you always see that life won’t let you write, that will be your reality. If you focus, instead, on writing your book, the obstacles will shrink.

Which world will you choose?