What Does It Take To Be a Writer

What Does It Take To Be a Writer?

What does it take to be a writer? A gift with words? A vivid imagination? Yes and yes. But I think the most important things a writer needs are symbolized by the stone lions guarding the entrance to the New York Public Library -- Patience and Fortitude.

After several years of writing myself and discussing the craft with fellow writers, I've come to the conclusion that to be a successful writer -- and by that I mean a writer who finishes what she starts, is reasonably content with the results, and writes work readers enjoy -- you need discipline as much as talent. So, what roles do patience and fortitude play in a writer's life?

Patience is necessary when writing, particularly if you're writing a long story or novel. Novels can take months or even years to finish, even when you know exactly how the story will end. If you're still learning how to write fiction or aren't sure in what direction your story is going, it can take even longer. Once you've finished a story, you need patience to put the story aside for a while until enough time has passed so you can read the story with a fresh viewpoint. And once you're ready to submit something, you need patience as you wait for a response from a publisher.

Like patience, fortitude is necessary both as you write and as you submit your work to publishers. If you write every day (which I think is the best way to develop your writing skills), there will be days when you don't want to write and have to force yourself to sit in front of the computer. There will be times when you need to work on passages that are difficult to write or that you just don't want to write but need to in order to set up a scene you'd rather write instead. There will be times when you feel you painted your plot into a corner and have to discard something you've already written. And once you've finished your story and have sent it out into the cold cruel world, that's when you need fortitude most of all to deal with indifferent rejections or scathing criticism. It's fortitude that allows you to make "just one more submission" or sit down at the keyboard and work on your latest story after getting another rejection in the mail. And it's fortitude that carries you through to the point where your stories receive praise or are bought.

Patience and fortitude. Without them, you may find yourself beginning stories you can't finish or worse yet, giving up on writing too soon. If you make friends with these two lions, they will protect you as you take your writing where it has to go.