Perseverance

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. 

~Walter Elliott, The Spiritual Life

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. In writing you need perseverance to get any place.

About nine years ago, I met many friends who were all on the same path as me. We were all in a course, learning to write to see where this dream would lead. I had already taken a two year course and as perseverance goes, I jumped into yet another writing course. This one was free, and it had many classrooms full of wanna-be writers like myself. As the classrooms waned, my love for writing didn’t.

I met this one guy, awesome writer, who was going down the road with me, and as we met with many forks in the road, our paths separated as he continued in his day job and love of carpentry, and I was moving full steam ahead in the writing world. Nine years later, we are still friends, but both on different journey’s, as all writers wind up on.

Oh he is still an excellent writer, the love and gift didn’t go anywhere but he is now embarking on becoming his own boss in the Rehab business, and this year I’ve finally said enough is enough and moved on to something else myself. Yeah, I’m taking care of ME first, then I’ll move on to teaching you all, then getting a job in the real world, pending health issues.

My New Year, which began on Easter, left me with a whirlwind of changes that will be made this year. I will persevere in getting to where I need to go and when I get there, you all will be the first to know. If I don’t persevere, then I’ll get nowhere and be in this same situation come next year! So send up some positive prayers for me as I go on and move forward.

To be a writer, perseverance in many fields needs to be acquired first. It’s not just about writing, oh no, there is a lot more to being a writer than that!

You will become an editor -- correcting and perfecting your work before it becomes publishable. Don’t think an editor does it all for you. You have to be ACCEPTED first before they tinker with your manuscript and the least amount of tinkering, the better

A Copywriter -- Yes siree, an essential tool of the writer if he is to move forward in the writing field.
 
free assistance on copywriting are found here
 
A fileclerk? You might say, “No way, not in writing.” But YES way, in writing you need to keep track of all your submissions, accepted or rejected. You’ll need to keep track of money and expenses, for tax purposes.

A negotiator -- You’ll need this skill to work in a proper fee for all your hard work. Are you gonna just accept a $500 dollar offer for your manuscript? Think about it.

A Marketer -- You need to promote YOU and your work. No one can do it for you. And since you’ve taken on the role of fileclerk, you now have the beginnings of where to start. Connect with writers, promote together. Tweet your heart out.

An assistant to other writers -- Yes, you’ll want to help OTHER writers also. Maybe offer them something in a field that didn’t fit you. Hand it off to someone who writes in that field.

With perseverance...you just might make it!

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But the moment you turn a corner you see another straight stretch ahead and there comes some further challenge to your ambition. 

~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.