How to Become a Professional Writer or

Author: 6 Things Pros Do That Separate

Them from the Pack
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Professional writers are a curious breed.

What makes one writer successful while another with similar skills
wallows in obscurity?
How can you make the journey from starving artist to successful author?
If youve ever dreamed of becoming a professional author or writer, I want
to show you what the journey looks like and how you can get started on
the right track.

WRITERS ADAPT OR DIE

Its none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think
you were born that way.
Ernest Hemingway
Everything in life happens for a reason.
There are universal laws that determine how our world works.
When you drop a pen and it immediately falls to the floor, you can see the
law of gravity at work.
The law that most impacts your career and finances as a writer is the law
of evolution. As Darwin wrote,

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent
that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
I believe that every writer must evolve to adapt to the changing world and
circumstances around him or her. If they do not, they risk toiling in
obscurity, and the words they struggled so hard to get just right will
languish unread and forgotten.
Adapting to change is the most fundamental skill you can develop. You
cannot just hope and wish that you will find a way to make a livable
income as a writer. If you do not change how you approach your work,
your life and your income will not change.
The world is constantly changing, and changes in the publishing
industry have been so numerous and so impactful that many wonder
whether the traditional publishing model will still exist in a few years.
While no one can predict what the future holds for the publishing industry,
we can say one thing with complete certainty: many changes are coming.
I dont mean the kinds of changes you would see in a doomsday or
conspiracy thriller. Im talking about the usual, typical, and still
unpredictable changes that life continually presents.
The world we live in is constantly changing. Trends change, ideas
change, and industries change. The publishing industry is no exception. It
follows the same rules as the rest of the universe.
As authors, we all have to learn how to deal with these changes.
Our ability and openness to change is what will allow us to evolve,
adapt, and become great writers. And, our ability to change and adapt will
allow us to attract fans and loyal readers.
Survival of the fittest does not mean that the strongest or smartest win
out in the end; it means that those who most fit their current environment
win. If your writing, publishing and marketing strategies fit with the current

market, you will win. If your strategies are outdated or unfit for current
readers and potential fans, you will lose.
Great writers dont become great by staying the same they become
great by changing. They adapt their style, methods and approach as the
industry and their audience changes.
Here are the common stages of evolution and change all great writers go
through.

THE NOVICE WRITER

I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before
developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.
Harper Lee, WD
The novice knows nothing about the writing profession other than his
interest in it or perhaps his desire to be part of it. And there are many
people who have the interest but cannot even be called novices because
they are not willing or motivated enough to actually sit down and start
writing. To become a novice writer, you must have the courage to begin.
The journey to becoming a better writer starts with the desire to write and
to learn how to more effectively communicate your ideas.
Its not enough to have skills or book knowledge or even a degree in
creative writing. If you do not actually sit down and work on your writing
on a regular basis, you cant really call yourself a writer. Being a novice
writer is a wonderful gift, and its where we all must start.
Writing a book for the first time is like falling in love for the first time. Its
exciting and new and you are certain to make foolish mistakes. Thats
okay.
As a novice writer, you can follow your passion for writing without regard
for silly things like proper spelling, grammar, and organization. The writing

profession comes with countless rules, many of which you can only learn
from other writers and through a good deal of practice.
The vast majority of authors who want to see their books published are
still novices. They may have completed a book and even submitted it to
literary agents and publishers, but they havent learned all that much
about the craft of writing.
The reason slush piles at literary agencies and publishers are waist high
is because so many novice writers try to get their work published before
theyve honed their craft. They look for a literary agent or publisher before
they have developed their work habits and polished their writing skills.
Every great writer needs experience, but experience alone is not enough
to turn you from a novice into a professional. Its not enough to merely
practice writing. Your practice must bring improvement. You must learn
from every typo, every grammatical error, every unclear sentence, and
every inconsistency in your narrative. And you must be willing to take
these lessons with you as you revise what youve written and when you
begin each new project.
Passion and motivation are wonderful things. Maybe the world would be a
better place if we had more passionate, motivated writers, but those
things alone are not enough to create a great book. As Jim Rohn said,
education must come with motivation. If you take an uneducated
person and motivate him, youll only have a motivated idiot.
Im sure youve seen your fair share of books and articles written by
motivated writers who do not have the education or training they need to
effectively and coherently convey their message.
If youre motivated to write, thats great. Now its time to learn how to
become a better writer.

MAKE NO EXCUSES FOR LACK OF

WRITING SKILLS

One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly. I tell
myself that Im going to do my five or 10 pages no matter what, and that I
can always tear them up the following morning if I want. Ill have lost
nothingwriting and tearing up five pages would leave me no further
behind than if I took the day off.
Lawrence Block, WD
Every writer starts with zero writing skills. We are not born with the ability
to write we must learn it from others. We are not even born with basic
language skills. Without other humans to teach us language as children,
we would not be able to communicate in English, let alone read or write.
Every great author started with zero writing skills. Every. Single. One.
You are not alone, unique, or special if you lack knowledge or experience.
You are simply at the beginning of your journey. Those successful writers
you look up to are just farther along in theirs. Theres nothing stopping
you from following your path and improving your skills other than your
own excuses or bad habits.
Just as we need people to teach us language as we grow, we need
people to teach us writing skills as we seek to grow from a novice into a
professional writer. Lacking writing skills and being ignorant is normal
its a stage every great writer had to go through. Lacking skills and
knowledge should never be seen as an impediment or handicap.
Ignorance is just a single point on an endless trail of potential knowledge.
If you want to learn how to become a great writer, you can.
All you have to do is study and practice.
Study and practice.
Study and practice

Yes, it can be very boring. The work that goes into becoming successful is
often boring. If it were all fun, excitement, and good feelings along the
road, everyone would become a best selling author.
You must use your purpose and passion to keep you on the path. Study
new ideas. Practice what you learn. Seek out advice and ideas from
others who are where you want to be. If you stay with it and keep making
progress, you will eventually get to where you want to be if you never
give up.
And thats the rub. Thats where most authors mess it all up. They simply
give up before they get there.
If youve ever been on a long hike and felt as if you were never going to
make it, like you just wanted to turn back because your muscles ached
and you were tired, thats a lot like the experience of becoming a best
selling author. Youre going to have to push yourself farther and harder
than you ever have before. Many dont make it. Many give up and turn
back on the trail just before they achieve their goals and hit it big.
But if you have the courage and tenacity to stick with your writing and
constantly hone your craft, you will make it.

HOW TO TELL IF YOURE A NOVICE

WRITER
Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no
shortcuts.
Larry L. King, WD
I get a twinkle in my eye and a smile on my face every time I hear a
writer say something like,
I spent five years writing this book! How dare you say it needs more work?

This is the hallmark of a novice; the novice thinks that time is what makes
a great writer, but time is only a measuring stick of time itself. The true
measure of a great writer is not how much time she has spent working,
but how many changes she has made during that time.
Some writers never grow beyond the level of novice because they are
attached to their egos. They view criticism as an insult instead of
feedback. They seek to protect their own sense of importance. By trying
to protect themselves they ignore crucial opportunities to learn more.
How much have you changed as a writer since you first started?
How many drafts of your book have you gone through? One? Five? 100?
When you go back and read something you wrote when you were first
starting out as a writer, how many changes do you wish to make to that
old piece?
Change is what makes the difference, but not just any change: it must be
purposeful change. Changing from a PC to a Mac will not make you a
better writer. Changing your habits, your knowledge, your research, your
approach to writing these are the things that will make you a better
writer.
To advance from a novice writer and take your career to the next level,
many writers become

THE COPYCAT WRITER

Know your literary tradition, savor it, steal from it, but when you sit down
to write, forget about worshiping greatness and fetishizing masterpieces.
Allegra Goodman
At this stage, the young writer starts to emulate other writers they admire.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with copying ideas from the works of
others as long as you do not try to take credit for it (or break any laws).

In any profession, an apprentice will copy the activities of the master with
whom they are studying. One would never shame a basketball player for
pivoting the way his coach taught him. In fact, we would praise that player
for being a good student.
In the same way, an author who advances from the rank of novice and
successfully copies the style or methods of a writing coach or mentor
ought to be praised for being a good student.
Benjamin Franklin used a copycat method to teach himself how to
become a better writer, and the results of his effort show how powerful
this method can be.
He took a copy of the The Spectator, a British political magazine featuring
the work of some very talented writers, and followed this process:
I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in
each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the
book, tried to complete the papers again, by expressing each hinted
sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any
suitable words that should come to hand.
Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my
faults, and corrected them. But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a
readiness in recollecting and using them.
I will warn you in advance that this process is boring. It is not fun. It is not
exciting. But it is this kind of tedious work and diligent study you must go
through if you want to improve your writing skills.
But being a good student is not by itself enough to get you to the top.
You have to keep growing, learning, and changing.
Your next step is

FINDING YOUR VOICE

To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.
Allen Ginsberg, WD
After a good deal of studying, practice, and soul-searching, you will begin
to find your own voice and style instead of merely modeling what youve
seen in others.
Finding your voice is like connecting directly with the universe you are
able to communicate from a space beyond your own limited personality.
Its as if your soul is writing and your body is simply typing away at the
keyboard or jotting down words on paper. This is when you get into flow;
you sit at the computer and when you look up at the clock, hours have
gone by without your realizing it.
I should warn you, however, that simply finding your voice and getting into
flow does not mean you have gotten to a point where you no longer need
to study, change, or learn. You will still have to go through numerous
rounds of editing and revision. You will still need to do more research and
look up words in the dictionary.
You are not immune to the banalities of writing simply because youve
found your voice and have some experience.
If you are not constantly growing as a writer, you will not continue to
achieve the level of success you have in the past and that you want in
the future.
Its easy to think youve made it and stop trying so hard, but you must
remember that it was that striving and effort that created your success in
the first place.
If you can find your voice, achieve some success, and not let it get to your
head, then you will become

THE PROFESSIONAL WRITER

A professional writer is an amateur who didnt quit.

Richard Bach
What qualities separate the professional writer from the rest?
It is a never-ending dedication to the craft. Again, I urge you not to only
think about time here. You do not automatically become a professional
just because youve been a writer for five years, ten years, or even fifty
years.
Ive seen writers go from novice to professional in a matter of weeks,
while others write for decades and still make little progress.

HERE ARE SOME COMMON SIGNS OF A

PROFESSIONAL WRITER:
1. The professional writes every week whether they feel like it or not.
Professionals do not take holidays, vacations, or sabbaticals. They travel,
they adventure, they relax, but they do not turn their backs on their
calling to write.
2.

The professional treats writing as a career or business, not as a hobby

or part-time job.

Even if they work full-time doing something entirely different, they still see
themselves as a professional writer first and foremost.
If you ask them, What do you do? the first thing out of their mouths
will be about their writing.

3.

Professional writers identify themselves as writers. Theyre proud of it,

even if they dont yet earn any money from their writing.
4.

Professionals are constantly learning and studying no matter

what level of outward success they have achieved.

They never feel theyve made it. Instead, they are focused on growing
and expanding their knowledge and skills.

5.

Professional writers work with other professionals to achieve their

goals.

They know they cant be great at everything so they find others who are
strong where they are weak. Professionals work with other professionals
including great editors, book cover designers, literary agents, attorneys,
accountants, web designers, marketers, and others who can add value to
the writers work.
6.

Professionals accept feedback and criticism.

They do not avoid it or offer justification for their work. Professionals know
they can learn a lot from some critics, and that they can ignore others.
They know when to keep quiet, just listen, and weigh what theyve heard
on their own time.

DEVELOPING WRITING MASTERY

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.
Ernest Hemingway
Mastery is an ideal we strive for as committed writers.
The master writes as a way of life, not simply as a job or career choice.
The master writer achieves greatness not by becoming better than others,
but by becoming better than their previous self. You must first master
yourself before you can master your work.
Many artists destroy their writing lives by failing to overcome poor
emotional, mental, or lifestyle habits. Mastery is not achieved overnight. It
takes years of dedicated work at the professional level to become a
master.
The master writes to improve, not merely to produce great work. The
reason masters produce such great work is because they spend

significant time, effort, and energy writing, and they continually work on
improving by changing and adapting their writing style and skills.

How many words have you looked up in the dictionary in your

lifetime? Or today?
How many times have you referred to a thesaurus?
How many words have you written and never published or shared
with anyone?
How many hours have you spent putting your words on paper?
How many stories have you created?

Whatever your answers are, there is room for improvement.

In that constant striving for improvement is where you will find the seeds
of mastery.
Keep writing, my friend. Keep studying and improving. It is a wonderful
journey.

TURNING PRO