I have been a working writer for ten years now. That means that I am actively producing content to sell it. Or, at least put it somewhere people might see and enjoy it.

Being a working writer is a weird job. You spend years practicing only to realize that you will never master it, you’ll just become a better apprentice. But there are certainly some things I’ve learned over the last decade. As I said yesterday, I hope I’ve learned something after ten years of working at it. So here are some hard-won pearls of wisdom. I hope they help you.

A yes to one thing is a no to something else

I have a too much gene. What, the person who decided to write a ton of extra content and host ten different giveaways in ten days does too much? I’m sure you’re surprised.

The problem is that I want to do everything. I want to submit to every magazine and enter every contest. I want to write so many novels and produce so many podcasts. So this is a lesson I have learned the hard way by trying to juggle too many projects at once.

If you decide to write one book, you don’t have time to write a different one. If you enter one contest, that means you have to turn down another. Everything you say yes to means there’s something you’re going to have to say no to.

There is just no other way around it. Our time is finite, our energy is too. So pick your projects carefully. Because when you pick something, it means you’re going to have to reject another thing.

You can push yourself only so hard

This one gets more true as I get older. Just as you only have so much time in a day, you also only have so much energy. You only have so many spoons, as the kids say. And yes, we all know that we can push through exhaustion and get things done. I at least was raised with this toxic work ethic. It doesn’t matter if you feel like it. It doesn’t matter if you feel sick, or if you’re in a funk, or if you did a whole lot yesterday and are still recovering. You have work to do, damn it.

Yeah, we all need to stop this. Especially when it comes to our creative projects.

Listen, I get that deadlines are a thing, but there is only so much you can push yourself before you burn out. I have pushed myself too hard for too long many times. And what happened wasn’t that I persevered and created great art. What happened was that I put out work that wasn’t as good as if I’d been well-rested. What happened was that I burned myself out and had to spend months recovering. What happened was that I got myself to the point where I hated the work, hated myself, hated everything. And that is not how I should feel about my writing. It’s sure as hell not how I want to feel about my life.

Most people do not give a damn that you are a writer

I tell people I’m a writer. Of course, I do. But the older I get, the less I tell people. Because most people, sadly, do not care. The average response I get when I tell someone I write books is, “Oh, that’s cool.” And then we move on.

Or worse, I’ll be informed that they self-published a poetry collection on CD twelve years ago, and that’s basically the same thing.

So if you think you’re going to wow someone with the fact that you’re a writer, I’m sorry to tell you that you’re not. Unless you’re Sarah J. Mass, most people do not care.

You have to love your writing the most

I have read Series of Unfortunate Events the whole way through at least five times. I have read Woven the whole way through ten times over. Many writers have read their work even more.

When you set out to write a book, you are committing to spending a lot of time with that book. Probably years, if it’s a series. Maybe years if it’s just one and you’re a slow writer. No shame there. And your passion needs to stick with you through every rewrite, line edit, revision and maybe even reading the damn thing for an audiobook. The only way that’s going to happen is if you are just wild about your story. I was, and still am, wild about Woven. I am wild about Station 86. I am wild about AA. And I have to be because I am going to spend more time with these stories than anyone else ever will.

Schedule writing time

The best piece of advice I can give anyone starting to write is to block out time to do so.

But, you might say, it’s writing. And writing is art! You can’t schedule art, man.

Well yes, you can. It might surprise you that I schedule my hobbies, too. Otherwise I’d never actually do them.

Writing is something that takes a lot of time. And if you have an already busy life, it’s easy to keep putting it off and putting it off until we’re putting you in a coffin. So if you want to write, the first thing you should do is get a planner. Mark out all the time you already have committed to things. Your day job, child care, appointments. Then take a good hard look at the time you have left. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got fifteen minutes every other Saturday, mark it out and commit to those fifteen minutes.

But I bet you have more time than that.

Writing friends are wonderful friends

I have many friends who I love. But writing friends are the best friends. Not just for networking. I find that kind of gross. But it’s amazing to have someone who understands the writing process. Who gets the joys and nightmares of the craft. Who’s read the same writing books and been irritated at the same NYT bestsellers that weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. Having writing friends to talk to about the craft and the business is a godsend.

Covers matter!

We judge books by their cover, it’s just a fact. We are visual creatures and pretty pictures get our attention. There’s nothing wrong with that. I have bought several books because the cover caught my eye.

So if you’re going to self-publish, invest in good cover art. Unless you are a graphic artist, don’t do it yourself. I’m in the process of relaunching all of my books with professional covers and let me tell you, I am so glad I am. They look so much better.

You can never predict what’s going to happen

This might also be life advice. Nothing is ever certain, and you just don’t have any way to predict how your career is going to turn out. I never thought my first completed book would sell, because everyone tells you your first book won’t ever sell. I never thought my publisher would drop me. I never thought I’d start writing for a horror review site. I sure as hell never thought I’d produce a podcast that I wrote.

While having a plan is lovely, it’s best to understand that this plan is never, ever set in stone. Things will change, and people will get sick. New people will come into your life and people you thought would always be there will leave. You might land your dream agent only to have them retire. You might sign with someone you aren’t sure of and then have them launch your career into space. You just never know.

Hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Post more than you think you need to

This is on social media, specifically. And it’s something I’m still struggling with. Because I always feel like I’m bothering people. Especially when I post about my books. No one wants to be bombarded by ads on Instagram. People want to see my cats and dog, not my book covers.

But, that’s probably not true. If someone’s following you on social media, they probably do want to hear about your writing. I use Instagram to keep up with my favorite authors, and I want them to post about their books so I remember that they’re coming out.

So if you have a book you want to sell, let people on social media know about it. Repeatedly.

There is always another place to submit

If you’re a working writer, you’re going to get rejections. A lot of them. That’s just the way of things. There are only so many spots for stories, but there seems to be a never-ending stream of writers.

But here’s the thing. There are a ton of spots for stories. There are always new magazines, websites, podcasts, and publishing companies. And best of all, there are always new readers.

So every time you’re rejected, get your story back out there and submit it again. Write another story. Then write another one. Submit them over and over until they sell. That is the only way to break into this business, by writing and submitting over and over.

Don’t ever be afraid of rejection. It just means you’re out there doing the work.

Don’t forget to like this post and leave a comment to be entered into today’s giveaway. Today, one lucky reader is going to get a copy of Man in The Woods. I’ll post the winner here tomorrow.

See you then.

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Broken Patterns is available now for preorder! You can order it now on Amazon.