The Five Traits of Successful Authors

We spend a lot of time talking about the things an author can do in their environment to be successful, but today, I’m going to delve into the author versus the tasks. There are five key traits that I feel make an author successful. Let’s look into each one together.

1. Successful authors do not procrastinate. (Go on, spit out your coffee with a laugh. Sure, we procrastinate! But stay with me…)

I can’t tell you how many times I check my phone in the middle of my writing time only to find a spammy email. I go into my email to delete it and come out an hour later, finding myself working on a totally different task. But there’s one thing floating in the back of my mind: I still have to get my day’s writing done. And I do, no matter how long it makes my day. Putting off the writing process or avoiding it entirely can slow an author down. To be successful, an author has to meet deadlines to get the books out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told my family, “I can’t really put a Christmas book out a month later…” Which brings me to the second trait.

2. Successful authors have effective time management practices. (Loosely, sometimes, but they’re there.)

I know, I’ve been preaching the benefits of marketing and social media. An author’s mind is spinning with how to promote, what to do to get their book in front of people; they’re reading excerpts, sending emails, creating graphics, joining giveaways, doing interviews… But while, yes, I do all that, I always have to keep in mind that I have to write the next book to be able to market something. Writing has to be a priority. So if I spend an hour in the morning making graphics, that just means that I spend an hour more at the end of my day to get my writing done. Managing time is incredibly important for the creative. And a lot of us have to work extra hard at it because our creative minds don’t function on a rigid timeline. I create flexible schedules, set goals, and structure my day to assist with time management so I’m sure to have that next book when it’s time.

3. Successful authors have discipline.

While we’re creatives and we “chase squirrels” all day long, constantly following our creative impulses, there comes a time when we have to get down to business. For me, it’s hitting 1,000 new words a day or editing 4,000. That gets me 2 books a year. An author cannot be successful with inconsistent writing habits. For full time authors, writing is a job. We have to clock in and clock out and get the work done. I’ll admit, it’s nice not to have a boss leaning over me, but I have to be that boss. And I have to promise myself that I’ll get it done.

4. Successful authors have to ignore or completely eradicate their fear of failure.

I’ve had moments where I worry about not getting my books written on time. Or sometimes, when I get a heavy edit, and I want to be upset with myself or panic, I have to push the feelings aside and know that, while I still have growth to do, I am not a failure in any way. Failure isn’t even real. We’ve made it up. If it were real, none of us would be able to feed ourselves or walk. We didn’t miss our mouths over and over with our first months of eating only to say, “I must not be good at this. I’ve failed.” We kept trying because no one told us we shouldn’t. Every time an author gets her words written or spends time on the craft, he/she is a success. This career is made by a series of baby steps. I ignore any past stumbling and focus entirely on how I will learn from those moments to be better today. And then I go get it done.

5. Successful authors, many times, have to overcome perfectionism.

Oh my, this was a big one for me. Guess what. After 23 books, I still get edits at times that make me have to stop, take in a steadying breath, and walk away for a minute because the anxiety of it not being as strong as I’d have liked it to be gets to me. When people tell me they're reading my early books (that showcase my early skills), I have to avoid the impulse to crawl under the table and hide. But it was those early books that got me here. Those early books are still selling and people are enjoying them. The goal is not to be perfect but to keep getting better. Striving for perfection will slow an author down considerably, and in some cases, create a rigidity that can ruin an author’s chance for success.

Authors who master these five traits will have a leg up in their journey.

Until next time,
Jenny

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