7 Traits of Best-selling Authors: #4 Where the Rubber Meets the Road

I once worked in a Seattle skyscraper, chained to my virtual desk for long overtime hours. As I tackled impossible daily quotas, I had to work fast and accurately. With the computer monitoring my productivity, if I wanted my job I couldn’t slack.

While my employment as an assistant underwriter is behind me, those years taught me the same techniques best-selling authors use. Passion, commitment and focus are only part of what it takes to win as a writer. It also takes dedication. That’s a nice concept, but how do you apply it to every day?

1. Check your hat at the door. Whatever puzzles life brings your way should remain outside the work arena. If you bring them to your desk with you, they’ll only slow you down. When you sit down to work, forget all that.  This time, right now, is set apart for your writing and nothing else. Or as Mark Twain put it: “Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.”

2. Set goals.  Whether you strive for a particular word count or to complete specific scenes, aim a little higher than you think is possible. You may surprise yourself. Even if you don’t reach all your goals, by focusing on them you’ll probably accomplish more than you would have otherwise. “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”  ~T.S. Eliot

3. Schedule your time. Writers love to quote Mary Heaton Vorse: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.” Some abbreviate this method to BIC (butt in chair). It’s harder than it sounds. It’s entirely possible to work hard all day and get nothing that you needed to do done. By keeping a schedule, you take control of your time and can switch rapidly from one task to another without taking time to consider. If even a schedule you set makes you rebel, work down a prioritized To Do List instead.

4. Monitor your computer use. While computers are useful tools, they also distract us. With no one looking over your shoulder, it’s easy to look at “just one” video or peek at Facebook. Now I’m not against rewarding yourself for completing tasks, but if your reward is an hour on a favorite video game, there’s a problem. In Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer, Best-selling author Jeff Vandermeer relates that his wife hides his modem in a different place each day. After he calls and tells her he’s completed his writing goals for the day, she tells him its location. If you don’t have such a cooperative spouse, I suggest installing Rescue Time, a program that allows you to track your computer use. If you need the help, it can even be set to regulate your Internet use.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll become a best-selling author, but following these techniques should increase your chances.

*Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links she provides.