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The Mindset of Successful Writers
How to mentally prepare yourself to thrive as a writer
A mindset is simply the way we think about things. The word gets tossed around a lot, but all it really means is the attitude we bring to life and how we engage in activities as a result of that attitude.
Though it can be easy to get discouraged and develop a negative mindset because it’s challenging to write well and to get published, successful writers all seem to have a similar mindset that sets them apart.
Writers must have a mindset or attitude that produces success. Positive attitudes turn into habits, and good habits lead to success. The ten attitudes I’ve noticed that all successful authors have are the following:
1. They don’t give up
Successful writers are successful because they don’t give up when they face rejection. They have a mindset that eventually, if they keep working hard, they will finish their stories and get their books published (if that is their goal).
Many famous authors took years to get published. George Orwell, author of Animal Farm and 1984, both novels often mentioned, quoted, and performed in theaters (my daughter was in Animal Farm in high school) experienced numerous rejections from publishers.
Authors never know why their stories can not find a home. Orwell’s books were both controversial and political, and perhaps this was why he had difficulty finding a publisher willing to take a chance on his books.
But Stephen King, Judy Bloom, J.K. Rowlins, Margaret Mitchell, and others were repeatedly rejected as well. Robert Pisig’s The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which was a deep, thought-provoking story, was rejected an amazing 121 times.
What all these authors had in common was that they didn’t give up on themselves or on their projects.
In fact, what is rare is to find an author who was not rejected, ignored, or denied publication at some point in their careers. Successful authors all have, and they kept writing until they succeeded.
