I’m often approached at book-signings by people who tell me that they dream of being a writer but they don’t know where to start. Or they ask if I would be willing to read their work to tell them if they have ‘any talent’. My advice to them is that if they don’t know where to start, just start writing in a journal every day. And on the subject of asking someone else to judge if they have talent, I believe that’s the wrong approach to take.

When I was in my twenties, I was told by someone that I could never be a writer because I had nothing worthwhile to say

Having a talent for writing isn’t quite the same thing as the natural aptitude required to be a professional soccer player, opera singer or a prima ballerina. When it comes to writing, nowhere could the old adage, ‘Desire is more important than talent’ be truer. There are so many styles and voices in writing, that putting yourself in the hands of someone else to judge whether you have talent or not could result in your confidence being crushed. When I was in my twenties, I was told by someone that I could never be a writer because I had nothing worthwhile to say. Did I listen? Certainly not! That put-down just made me all the more determined. I kept on writing. Even now, with ten internationally published books under my belt, I keep going even when people post disparaging reviews or write me negative emails. If you ask my readers whether I have talent they will give you a big thumbs up! If you ask people who don’t like historical fiction, or historical fiction with a twist, novels with social messages, or my particular style of writing, they will tell you that I don’t.

Anna Wintour, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine once said if you look too much to the left or to the right you will fall off your own path

The only person who can decide if you have talent or not, is you.

So here is what you need if you are determined to be a professional, published writer:

♥ A desire to write and the discipline to write every day
♥ A belief in your own talent and a willingness to hone that talent
♥ A thick skin, because rejection and somebody not liking your work is inevitable if your writing goes out into the public sphere. If you are terrified of this happening, and can’t push through the fear of failure, your desire is not strong enough

You must write every day if you are to develop the talent you have

The reason why many good storytellers are rejected is simply because the final manuscript they submitted to a publisher read a lot like the terrible first draft of a professional writer. That is why I say desire and discipline are the keys to your success. You must write every day if you are to develop the talent you have. Neuro-science teaches us that every time we perform an action, we create new neural-pathways in our brains. Each time we repeat the action, those pathways grow stronger. Have you ever noticed when you learned a language, dance form or musical instrument you progressed faster when you did half an hour a day rather than big block of 3 or 4 hours at the weekend?

However, if we don’t keep up the habit, the neural pathways shrink and come apart in a short amount of time. This is why when a budding writer is working on their first novel, I advise them to connect with it every day. Even on the busiest days, they should write at least a paragraph or plot out the next scene.

When you have written your first draft, then you must be willing to shape it and reshape it until it is the very best material you can offer

The desire to write grows in much the same way as a close relationship does. If you speak to someone every once in a while, your relationship will be less intimate than it will be with a person with who you have loving contact every day. If you start regarding your writing as the love of your life, you will find it much easier to push through barriers.

When you have written your first draft, then you must be willing to shape it and reshape it until it is the very best material you can offer. If you serve food that is undercooked, your dinner guests will reject it. It is the same if you serve your ‘undercooked dish’ to a publisher. They won’t recognise it as the meal you intended to offer.

It takes an enormous amount of energy and discipline to keep pushing yourself to produce better and better drafts. Very often you will have to work on your own and without praise, and sometimes you will have to have to keep working even when people are scathing of your attempts.

I promise you that if your desire is unwavering, and you are willing to work hard and patiently, you will most certainly succeed.

Good luck!

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