The Secret to an Enduring Author Career

Author: Sandy Vaile 
Previously published on the Writing and Wellness blog 03/08/22.


After more than a decade of writing and teaching fiction, I have the luxury of looking back on my journey (thus far) to see where I could have done things differently, to heighten enjoyment and expedite my arrival at the place I am now.

And I’m going to share those insights with you today. 

I’m Sandy Vaile, an author of fast-paced romantic suspense for Simon and Schuster US and a fiction coach who is empowering modern writers around the globe to write stories they're proud to share with the world (one author at a time).

If only I'd known the truth

There is limitless information on the internet about how to write and publish a book and yet thousands of authors struggle to find their place in the industry. I believe this is because the creative process isn’t something that can be pigeon-holed and contrived. Original ideas flow from our imaginations and no two minds or lives are alike.

If only I’d known a few truths when I started this journey, it might have made it easier and saved me a heap of anxiety. 

If only I'd known things like:

• The importance of keeping the joy of writing alive.
• The pointlessness of comparing yourself to other authors.
• The sham of chasing ultimate success.
• The significance of taking care of your health. 

Enjoy the journey

A writing career is long, and creativity is affected by what’s happening in our lives and the world around us. When we are plagued by self-doubt, rejections or story problems we can’t fix, it can be a struggle to maintain our motivation to write. When we suffer illness, trauma or loss, we may even need to take an extended break from writing.

Storytelling is a privilege and a calling.

Something that lifts our soul and challenges our beliefs. A way to share ideas with people we’ve never even met and potentially influence the way they see the world.

That’s why it’s vital to keep the joy of writing alive.

When we get so caught up in ‘the right way’ and what we want to achieve, we tend to lose sight of what we love about creating prose. This is when we feel overwhelmed, even resentful of our stories.

Whether you love creating eloquent sentences, the excitement of bringing an imaginary character to life, or the satisfaction of fitting all the puzzle-pieces of a plot together, you will need to hold onto this joy throughout your career. Sometimes you will need to breathe new life into that joy. To polish the lacklustre surface to a shine. To sprinkle some fairy dust between the layers of a dusty tome.

I was 40 y.o. when I finally decided to take my writing seriously and wouldn’t give it up for the world, but what I thought this life would be and what it has turned out to be are quite different. The road here meandered and took unexpected detours.

It’s not the way everyone would have done it, but it was the right way for me.
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The only way it could have been considering how everything else going on in my life influenced the choices and extent of my writing career, which brings me to the next truth, the pointlessness of comparing your journey to that of other authors. 

Why you are incomparable 

Comparisonitis is a real and debilitating issue facing all authors. We naturally compare what we’re doing to our peers and heroes. It’s how we make sense of the world and understand our place in it. The problem comes when we use comparisons to gauge satisfaction with our own life.

Creativity is, by its very definition, bringing original ideas to life.

No-one has ever written the same story the same way, made exactly the same decisions as you or lived an identical life, so they really are incomparable. Therefore, it’s pointless to compare your work or author career to other authors.

Draw on the joy of writing and believe in your unique creative process. 

The sham of chasing ultimate success

The fallacy that keeps so many authors dissatisfied is, believing that achieving a certain pinnacle means they have arrived at success. Not true because there is no such thing as ultimate success. 

“… life is a journey and not a destination.”     Theologian Lynn H Hough

It’s healthy to work towards self-improvement; to have dreams and goals.
It’s not healthy to feel dissatisfied with everything until you reach that future destination.

An author career is something to be savoured every step of the way.

Focusing on future success is like trying to reach a mirage in the distance, and by constantly striving for it, we fail to enjoy the present.

Take a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come already. Have you written a whole story, plotted a novel, learnt a new fiction technique, solved a story problem or shared your work with others? Yes? Then you are already successful.

Take a deep breath and really appreciate what you’ve accomplished. Let the feeling of satisfaction fill you. Smile. And if the feeling takes you, fist pump the air!

The advantage of taking the time to savour our small achievements often, is that it gives us a positive outlook, and that’s brilliant because we get more of what we focus on.

An author who enjoys the journey, will arrive at the destination and surpass it, with a smile on their face. ​

Take care of you (you're the only one we have)

Prioritising your health (physical, mental and emotional) builds a solid foundation upon which to build your career.

Taking care of our health provides the best chance of having the energy and emotional elasticity to endure a long and happy author career.

Sitting in front of a computer for hours each day, is not a recipe for physical health. It can lead to shoulder, neck and back pain, as well as isolation and self-doubt. But there are things we can do to take care of ourselves, so we can continue to enjoy writing for many years to come.

Here are a few things I do to nurture my health:

• Take a brisk walk a few mornings each week.
• Get up from my desk and move every 30 minutes, to prevent my hips and legs from getting stiff. Moving my upper body also reduces neck pain. There is always something to do, like make a cuppa, go to the bathroom, do a few stretches, take the dog for a walk in the back yard, put a load of washing on.
• Consider my posture when seated, i.e., don’t slouch and use your core muscles. Having your workstation set-up correctly really helps. Pay attention to your distance from the monitor and position of your arms, use a footrest and invest in a standing desk if you can. If you use a laptop, move it around the house so you are sitting and standing in different positions.
• Use an eye spray to moisturise tired eyes, because we don’t blink often enough when staring at a screen. I also rest my eyes every so often, by blinking a few times in quick succession and looking elsewhere for a moment.
• Spend time with other writers regularly, whether it’s online or in person. Talking to like-minded souls re-invigorates my motivation. Not to mention providing a forum to solve story problems and realise I’m not in this crazy life alone.
• Do something each day to cultivate a positive and grateful attitude. I alternate between listening to motivational speakers, reading self-help books, journaling, saying positive affirmations and meditating.
• You don’t have to spend a lot of time doing these things, but they keep your mind focused on the right things.
• Spending time deliberately shaping my emotional wellbeing each day, helps reduce stress, which in turn helps you deal with the many obstacles life throws in your path.
• Carve out some ‘me’ time. This is where I do something purely because I enjoy doing it, not because of any obligation. Now that fiction writing is part of my business, I make an effort to step away from it completely and spend time with friends or family. This often involves wine and cheese platters, seeing as I’m lucky enough to live in the McLaren Vale wine region in South Australia.

Authors are all about the words, but as I’ve discovered, there is so much more to having an enduring career in the fiction industry. It takes resilience and persistence to keeping the joy of writing alive, have confidence in your choices and spend time taking care of yourself so your uniqueness can shine.
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Take care of your physical and mental health, enjoy the writing process every day, and the rest will come. 

Are you tired of struggling through your novel alone?

If you have an unfinished manuscript or first draft, and are looking for support to make it shine and get it published, find out how you can work with an experienced fiction coach and take your writing to the next level. 
 
Book a complimentary chat with Sandy Vaile to get clarity about your next best steps.