5 Secrets to Successful Writing

Have you ever wondered at the difference between successful writers and the rest of the world? Wondered exactly what made them so special that folks drooled over every word? How some people can sweat blood on a piece that barely merits a yawn yet another can crank out a blockbuster in fifteen minutes? Just who do you have to kill to be a success around here anyway???

There are five rules you must follow to become a successful writer. Ignore these rules and you will doom yourself to obscurity!

Rule #1: Write about what you know.

If you don't know about a subject, how in the world are you going to convince a reader to bother reading it? Fiction or no you have to know each and every aspect about your subject. This isn't something you can bluff your way through - a reader can tell in just a few seconds whether or not you are worth reading and *that quick* you can be discarded. Know what you write and write what you know. If you know your stuff they will trust you and come to you for vision and advice.

Rule #2: Write what you love.

This is as important if not more so than Rule #1. Your love or hate of a subject glows like a girl in love - why would you even consider writing about something you dislike unless it is to vent on how much you dislike it? Are you that cheap as to sell out your passion for something you detest? Don't be afraid to let your passion show through, it will be the beacon that brings the readers running and will keep them coming again and again.

Rule #3: Get rid of the rest.

Cut out every bit of extraneous fluff in every piece you write! With every paragraph ask yourself: Does this advance the story? If it doesn't then cut it. Be ruthless. Pare it down to the bone eliminating every unneeded word.

Rule #4: Get people to read your stuff.

I cannot count how many times friends have came to me with dog eared pages they have kept hidden for years, asking my opinion. They wrote them in secret and stashed them away, afraid that someone would ridicule their thoughts and they would show them to me only after I waved my fantasies in their face! Show off your work - all of it! Don't hesitate to reveal it to someone - if they make fun of you or discourage you from pursuing your dream then you know exactly what type of friend they truly are. Be proud of who you are and what you are writing - if you aren't proud of it then why bother composing it in the first place? If you can write it - flaunt it!

Rule #5: Keep writing.

Don't quit. Ever. The more you write the more you will want to write - if it stinks that's okay at least you had the experience in crafting yet another work. No one looks at LeonardoDaVinci's stuff and calls it bad now - and I'm sure he felt that way about at least some of his works! Thomas Edison failed hundreds of times, yet instead of quitting he kept on until he finally invented the lightbulb. WD-40 has 39 failures before it - and bragged about it in the name! As long as you are writing you are striving, and as long as you keep striving you have NOT failed! The only true failure is when you quit. Remember that.

Now, go out there and create that masterpiece - but don't forget to send me a link!