5 don'ts for every writer

( Quote from my book
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What are the things that impact your growth as a writer? Have you thought about this?

Why do many aspiring authors remain just that even after years and years of trying? Here are some of the things that affect your creative writing career. Here are some of the ‘don’ts’ that you need to give attention.

1.       Don’t allow the stress of  your day job to kill your creativity:

We all have bills to pay and need a day job to help us do that. If you’re lucky enough you might start early in your life and become a bestselling author raking in money, your books being made into films and so on. In that case, you can forget about your day job and become a full-time writer. But even if you work on a day job, you can set aside a little time every day dedicated to your passion, which is writing. Write whenever possible. Treat it as your method to relax, to get out of the tensions created by your day job.

2.       Don’t fall in love with your words:

Editing is mighty important. When you fall in love with whatever you have written you hesitate to ruthlessly edit out passages or paragraphs. We have to look at our work through the eyes of a reader. We have to edit out words that make our writing wordy or lazy. The concise your writing, the more power it has to touch the heart of your reader. The trick to edit your own work better is to leave it for a while, maybe a few days or weeks, and come back and read it with a fresh, critical eye. You will find plenty to cut and edit.

3.       Don’t bury your work:

Another worry that plagues any writer is the fear of acceptance. Will my work be liked or will it be rejected? Is it the worst story ever written? Such fears stop you from sending a query letter to a publisher. It makes you hesitate and turn back from submitting your work to a story writing contest. But if you want to get published you have to show more confidence in your work. You have to send it out into the world.

4.       Don’t be afraid of rejections:

It is probable that your work will face rejections. If you face multiple rejections, there might be something you can do to improve it. Create some friends in the creative writing field. Ask them for help with your manuscript and work on it. Ask for advice that would help improve your writing.  Making the right connections often helps in getting your manuscript noticed. A friend’s friend might be a publisher and your friend might put in a word about you to him/her. Don’t be shy to ask for help.

5.       Don’t take negative feedbacks to heart.

This is very important. Once you start querying or once your writing gets published, you will start receiving all sorts of feedback. Both positive and negative.  Know whose suggestions to trust and what to discard. You cannot please one and all with your writing. Every writer has his own audience.

I hope these are not some of the things you are doing. If they are, it is time to change them.

All the best!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.