10 Successful Writers Secrets

1. Read, read, read. I love my iPad for reading. I know, lots of my friends want to touch and feel the paper. But I love my iPad, #2 will tell you why.
2. When you read your favorite authors, as a writer, on an iPad you can highlight. Remember when you were in school? For some of us, it was a long time ago. I learned by taking notes. I might never even refer back to them, but the act of ‘highlighting’ and thinking about a phrase, description—or in Lee Childs case, a lack of description—helps me hone my craft.
3. Follow your heart, not the trends. Write about what you love to read. For me, that means a memoir, contemporary edgy romance, and thriller/suspense/spy stuff.
4. Make a schedule and stick to it. (That’s for you, not me!) I am the Queen of Procrastination. Here I am on Quora after I promised myself I wouldn’t do anything except writing today—hah, I’m writing! But I’m also in the middle of Code Raven 7, and the plot thickens as I play over here. Today I will write 4000 words before I stop!
5. Forget the critics. Don’t write to make someone else happy. (Don’t read your reviews—I break this one all the time) Some will love your work, some won’t, next.
6. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. I was devastated by a recent conversation with a book critic. I value his opinion and he loves my work, but… He has suggestions I’ve not implemented and he literally destroyed me with his scathing remarks. I couldn’t speak to him for a week. He didn’t even understand what he did wrong. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen!
7. I received a great piece of advice from the above critic: create your own worlds. Who cares if the facts are correct or the settings exist. At some point, stop researching and start writing. It’s your party, it’s your story. That’s why you write!
8. You better love what you do. Being Creative is like being married. It’s going to be a love/hate relationship. But if you plow on through the hard times, the good times are amazing.
9. Talk to people, watch foreign movies, travel, read the newspapers, interact on social media. Be a part of the world you write about. Ideas are everywhere. They’re just waiting for you to grab onto them and run with it.
10. There’s someone out there waiting to read what you are writing. If you have a fire inside yourself to write, never ever give it up.

BONUS: Don’t be afraid to feel (un)comfortable.

republished from Quora