Two Words that Will Supercharge Your Writing Career

Over the years I’ve gotten to know many writers and have noticed certain things about those who see their careers take off. No matter what their age, country of origin, or genre, they have a boatload of passion, tenacity, humility, and grit. But there’s something else as well, two words missing from their vocabulary: good enough.

What do I mean by that? Well, they don’t settle. Instead, they push themselves, studying their craft, attending workshops, and learning from experts so they can boost their craft and career.

I admire the heck out of them for it.

Because here’s the thing…when we write a story, we put hundreds upon hundreds of hours into it: thinking, planning, writing, reworking, rewriting, editing, revising, proofing, and rereading. Once it’s done, we make a choice–research & query, or research & self-publish–and dedicate more hours of work to see that choice through. Then finally, the magical day happens: the manuscript is a book! Of course, this means the next stage of work begins: getting our story into the hands of readers.

Hundreds of hours? For most it’s thousands.

After all that effort, is “good enough” really, you know, good enough?

Writing is a mountain of work, there’s no doubt. But successful authors don’t focus on the enormity of the task ahead. Instead, they start climbing.

And when they reach the plateau of “good enough,” they keep going.

Is it tempting to stop when a story’s in decent shape? Sure. If the quality is good enough, a person will sell some books. But if a writer keeps pushing and challenging themselves to do better, a greater level of success can be reached.

Successful writers don’t subscribe to the idea of good enough. They only know do better.

Do better when it comes to writing. Make this story even stronger than the last by putting in that extra effort.

Do better when it comes to being organized. They know with the right tools and help, they can streamline their process.

Do better when it comes to self-growth. There’s always more we can do to educate ourselves on writing craft, the industry, marketing, and our audience. The more we develop ourselves, the better we get at satisfying readers, adapting to change in our marketplace, and forming an agile and informed author’s mindset.

Confession: when I first started writing, “good enough” was my goal.

I thought that once I was “good enough” I’d snag an agent and publishing deal, and then everything would be gravy. I’ve since learned that the good enough plateau just doesn’t cut it in such a competitive industry.

But something wonderful happened along the way to this epiphany: a love of the climb. I love to learn and see my skills improve. I enjoy the challenge and keep pushing myself to do better, and get a little further up the mountain.

One thing that can help someone embracing the do better mindset is to seek out experts who are a great source of information. Thankfully, our industry is filled with brilliant folks eager to share what they know.

And that’s why I want to draw your attention to something the incredible David Gaughran is hosting right now: the Writer’s Blowout.

This special sale contains some of the most popular guides for writers available, all listed at .99 cents each until June 5th. So if you need help with writing, publishing, or marketing, you can level up by learning from experts like Joanna Penn, David Gaughran, Nick Thacker, K.M. Weiland and many others.

The Writer’s Blowout also includes The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma ebook, so if you don’t yet have it, you might want to pick up a copy.

A painful emotional wound is the centerpiece of most character arcs, so understanding how it will influence your character’s behaviors, goals, fears, and needs is key to crafting a powerful story.

The full range of books in this .99 cent sale can be found here.
See you on the mountain!

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The Bookshelf Muse is a hub for writers, educators and anyone with a love for the written word. Featuring Thesaurus Collections that encourage stronger descriptive skills, this award-winning blog will help writers hone their craft and take their writing to the next level.