Why you’re not taking your writing seriously and how to overcome that

Maybe your friends and family tell you to get a real job; maybe you really don’t believe you can pay your bills as a writer. Whatever the reason for you: you’re not taking your writing seriously right now, unless you sit down almost every day to write.

The thing is nobody who merely dabbles at being a writer will make a lot of money. Only the people who put in some serious effort will be rewarded. Think of Stephen King and the fact that he writes 2,000 words a day. Think of Nora Roberts who publishes a new book every 3 months. You don’t have to be as prolific as these two, but if you want to make a difference, get published, get noticed, and get ahead as a writer, then you have to take your writing seriously.

Are you a serious writer?

It’s quite possible that you’re not serious about writing right now. Maybe you only write for an hour on the weekends after the chores get done. Maybe you only manage to write when you have time off. But deep down, you know that you want more. Maybe you just want to publish that one book. Maybe you want to write a series of books. And maybe you want to turn writing into a lucrative career, one that allows you to quit your day job one day. How can you do this?

Set a goal and work on it every day

If you want to be a writer, you have to set a goal. Your goal needs to be measurable. That means it needs specifics as well as a completion date. For example, you can plan to finish your 60,000-word novel in the next 6 months. That’s a goal, but only if you write it down and hold yourself accountable to it. What can you do today to work towards that goal? Write 500 words. Do it right now. And then do it again tomorrow. You’ll reach your goal in no time at all. It doesn’t matter if your goal is huge, as long as you can break it down into daily steps.

Do the most important thing first

You must prioritize your to-do list and start with the most important thing first. Everything that has a deadline will get done, because it has to. But the important things that aren’t urgent, like writing your novel, must take a backseat. If you get in 30 minutes of writing time before you start your day, you’ll feel better and have more energy for the other tasks, too. Give it a try!

Life gets busy for all of us. If you don’t make time to do what’s important to you, it won’t get done. There are always a million other things clamoring for attention. But you would do better if you didn’t waste time on things that probably won’t pay off, even if they’re easy to do. Is keeping a blog going to help people discover your books? Maybe, but not likely. A more effective strategy would be to guest blog or contact other bloggers for reviews.

Can you imagine what would happen if you contacted 100 reviewers and offered them a free copy of your book in exchange for a review? You won’t get 100 reviews, but you’ll get some. And it will be worth the time you spent on it.

Take yourself seriously

As a writer, you need to take yourself seriously. It’s okay to ask for feedback from other writers or your friends, but it’s not okay to diminish your own work in front of others. Of course you’re not John Grisham or another writer that you adore. Nobody is expecting you to be. But what you write is pretty good, and you can only get better. For that, you need practice, which means you need time to write. Now is the time!