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How to become a writer with some hope of success
How to become a writer with some hope of success is not just about learning skills and typing many words. It is not just in what you add to your life but also in what you take away.
What are you giving up to be a writer? Because if you are not giving up something really important to you you might not have what it takes.
On top of the myth that you can be anything you want to be we are building the myth that you can be everything you want to be.
You only have to look at the line up of people for a show such as Idols to know that there are people with a huge amount of want who will never be pop stars. In the same way there are many aspiring writers who just do not have the talent. With talent I do mean some magical quality. I just mean the ability to develop the skills required to be a writer.
How to become a writer is about more than wanting to do it
You have to know that most aspiring writers, no matter how hard they work, will never have any measurable success as writers. It is a mere fact of the nature of writing that has a low entry threshold but a high hurdle to get over to be successful.
There are many reasons why most aspiring writers will not be successful but one reason is that they do not want to be writers. Not in any measurable way more than what they want to be anything else. Therefore their efforts are divided between two, three or more options.
Let's make the myths more practical - and let me use myself as an example because I know it best.
My journey is not the way how to become a writer
I have wanted to be a writer since high school but I have not had much success so far because:
- At school and at a variety of times afterwards I focussed on learning about the making of movies. I spent my energy dreaming about making films and only later came to the conclusion that they type of movies I want to make cannot be made in South Africa. And those that are made are made by a select number of moviemakers. At a point I played with the idea of going more into claymation or stop action to overcome this limitation but it did not pay of.
- The first book I managed to write was a picture book. I also wanted to illustrate it but at the time my visual art skills was negligible and the project did not get finished.
- I studied fine art eventually and tried to develop a career as a fine artist. But I did not try very hard because I would interrupt my forward progress to write, develop movie scripts or make another stab at picture books or animation.
- In between I dabbled in interior design, clothing design, graphic design, entrepreneurial brainstorming and working for a living.
- By a fluke I ended up doing a post graduate degree in drama studies. Suddenly I was exposed to a world of acting, directing and stage design. In dabbled in all of them adding playwrighting to my repertoire.
Advice from Darwin on how to become a writer
I have a wonderful collection of books I dip in from time to time called the International University Society's Course. In Section I is an article on Lord Avebury (1834 - 1913). Let me quote the first paragraph:
Sir John Lubbock, first Lord Avebury, once told Charles Darwin that he had only three ambitions in life; to become President of the Royal Society, Lord Mayor of London, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Darwin's reply was "You are capable of attaining to any one of these positions, but you can only do so by abandoning the other two."
The rest of the introduction explains that Lord Avebury did not take Darwin's advice and proved him right. He lived a "varied" life but he did fulfill any of his three ambitions.
How to become a writer rather than anything else
So to put myself into the same position. I have only three ambitions: To be a successful writer, to be a successful theatre director and to be a successful fine artist. Can I do that? I believe I can achieve any of the three (or any one of a number of other options I could pursue) but only if I put the other two aside.
But I do not want to. Because I believe that I can not only be whatever I want to be but everything I want to be. But is this belief justified? Am I not shooting myself in the foot by trying to do many things at the same time.
Popular wisdom states that it takes approximately 10 years of effort to achieve a professional level of skill and any success in a field. If I choose to attempt three separate fields at the same time I will have to say that it will take me 30 years to gain the same level of success. This will not take into account the amount of time I will waste not knowing which field should be treated as a priority at any given point in time.
Now, if I do achieve a level of success after 10 years per field (30 years combined) I still need to have a career in my chosen fields. The purpose of pursuing any of them is not just to be regarded as a mere beginner but to enjoy continuos and repeated success throughout the rest of my life.
How not to become writer
I am in my early forties. Taking my formula I will be beginning to be successful in my seventies, having a possible successful career after that of at the most 30 years (assuming I live to be a hundred). Which gives me an additional 10 years per field.
But if I only pursue one field exclusively I will hope to have success in my early fifties with a projected successful career further on (assuming again I reach 100) of close to 50 years.
I am not denying here that there are people who manage to be successful in multiple careers. But I suspect that they tend to be successful in one field and then transfer their success to another field, entering the second field at a higher level as mere beginner. Even then people tend to have successful careers consecutively rather than concurrently.
All that explanation brings me to a point where I want to ask a question. What are you giving up in order to be a successful writer?
Because you will not become a writer successful or not unless you do give up some things. And it is always better giving things up willingly than having them being wrenched from your grasp.
And when I am talking here about giving things up I am not talking about watching less television. I am talking about giving up laudable dreams and ambitions you could legitimately pursue because you have the intelligence, skill and talent for it.
Asking another question than just on how to become a writer
Can I give up being a fashion designer? Easily. Can I give up being a theatre director or fine arts? This is a more difficult question. Asked from the other side. Do I want to be a writer more than what I want to be something else?
In the end that is the only question to ask and answer. And if you want to be a professional writer (And I do) then this a question to be asked and answered sooner rather than later.
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Gerhi Janse van Vuuren is a writer. Read more of his articles at 2 Write a Book.com or visit his personal site at Gerhi.com