Some people would rather blather on and on about free term life insurance rates than tackle a novel, and yet strangely most people imagine that they have at least one good novel in them.
This ambivalence about the task of writing ultimately has to be set aside if one is to become a successful writer. The first problem can lead to progress-crippling procrastination and few things will cut a writing career short more quickly than procrastination.
The second state of mind breeds overconfidence; believe me, writing is both a job and a craft and the complete novice cannot just one day fire up MS Word and, over the course of a few months, whip out an outstanding novel that makes them millions.
Even “overnight success stories” in writing emerge out of a background of years of reading great examples of effective storytelling, and then doing a lot of writing, before one’s results can come anywhere close to being successful.
Unless, of course, you’re a celebrity, in which case a book contract can often be handed to you even if you can’t form complete, coherent thoughts. Isn’t that right, Paris Hilton?
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