The number one essential to be a succesful writer.





What is the most important thing, a writer must do, in order to be successful? I am often asked this.

Now 'being successful' itself can be defined in several ways. If you are an aspiring writer, I would consider the first step of success as completing a manuscript. If you have managed to sit down and have completed writing a book, you are successful, whether you have managed to find a publisher or not. You  have successfully crossed the first step.


The other question I am usually asked is about my art. One of the things I do, in between my writing is my art. I am asked questions like how it helps my writing, and whether a writer should have other forms of creative expression, other than writing.

I don't think a writer truly needs to have any other form of creative expression, if they are not inclined! If you are passionate about writing and you have no other creative pursuits, that is perfectly okay. To say that one must have other creative pursuits apart from writing is akin to saying, one must be able to dance or sing , in order to be able to write, which strikes me as a bit absurd. I think what is essential for a writer is to be observant, to have a lot of empathy and to imagine yourself in the shoes of others.

While writing and art are both creative pursuits, for me, they come from different parts of my brain. I draw because I LOVE drawing, and am passionate about it. When  I was a child, my greatest desire was to be able to draw a portrait that is a good likeness. I used to practise drawing portraits and used to wonder how artists captured likeness in a few strokes.

As an adult, I know! It's all about learning to see shapes, shadows and then practising every single day. Regular readers of this blog will recall  that some time back, I had done a 'portrait a day challenge' for 30 days, and had completed my very first sketchbook of portraits. You can view it HERE.

After I did it for 30 days, I was hooked. I continued doing it, and now I have completed my second book of portraits! I am sharing it here:



 I have now started my third book :) I continue to do a portrait daily. You can see how much I have improved from my first book of portraits to my second. It's the same for my writing.

The most important thing for any craft--be it art or writing is PRACTICE.

That according to me, is the single most important ingredient for success. You get better and better with each piece you write. I learnt so much, with each portrait I created. I learnt so much with each book I wrote. I grew.

In order for anything to become a habit, you have to COMMIT to making it happen. Set aside time for whatever your daily goal is.  Record it, where you can see it.

If you would like me to write on how to stick to a habit, do let me know in  the comments section below, and I shall write a post if there are enough requests.

And yes,  I would  also love to know what you think of my completed portrait sketchbook :)
Please leave me your thoughts and comments.
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Buy my books: http://preeti.io/amazon

Photo by Chris Spiegl on Unsplash

Comments

  1. I will be the first one to comment...yaaay...I love reading your posts as always mam..vijita or shally here..I was eagerly waiting for your blog marathon but I guess you decided not to do a blog marathon now...but it's okay..I am thankful to you for uploading the morning pics on Instagram..I am eagerly waiting for your next book which will come in sept. Please give us some hints or dates when we can pre order the book. I will be happy and if permitted will give infinite number of votes so that you agree to write your next post on how to make anything your habit or how to develop a habit...please please do write...I miss reading your blog posts..

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    1. Thanks Shally! My PR team will start the promos soon :) Please stay tuned to my social media pages. I shall also be writing about it here/

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  2. Hy☺ .. I am a regular reader of ur books and specially blogs.. I just love it.. I donno what resist me to leave u a comment.. But tdy here it is.. The only request i have is please continue ur blog marathon.. All d best wishes for ur upcoming books n life too..

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    1. Thank you so much Neena! Will definitely start one sometime soon. Right now I am tied up with the promos of my next novel!

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  3. Please do write a post on how to make time for writing and how to stick to a habit. We all need to know it...:-)

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  4. I, as a reader and aspiring writer, am drawn towards your blog posts. They are full of positivity and information. You have captured beautifully different faces and expressions. I would love to read your post on how to stick to a habit.

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  5. Please share about the habit building in general for daily routines, excercises etc and specially for writing.

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  6. Anonymous8:59 AM

    Hi Preety, how's u doing? This is Vishal, an Engineer by profession and a voracious reader by habit 😊😊 I second you on this point. Practice is the key whatever your friend is but sticking to it is the key. The one who holds up to it is the one who go long way. This is the key that helped me to attain the first milestone of my life. I wanted to crack CCIE certification. I know it's a bouncer for you😋 Its an expert level of certification which tests you through 8 hours of lab activity. I failed my first attempt( USA) but cleared on 2nd attempt in Brussels. All I can say is I grilled myself for hours and hours practicing in my home lab as it had become my passion at that time. So just to add to your point I would say that practice is the key but do it only only when you are passionate about something else later you would realize it was a waste of time and energy coz eventually you will stop practicing coz it's not your inner calling.

    Anyways it's always nice to read your content. I have read all your books. Now I am thinking of starting a blog myself coz that will help me improve my writing skills. I have already quit my job so I have a lot of time throughout the day to read, think and write. I am working on my manuscript that in my opinion will take around 4-5 months to complete. Will definitely reach out to you for guidance if you permit 😊😊😊😊

    Keep writing and inspiring. Bless you👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

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    1. Thank you for the long and detailed comment Vishal, and thank you for telling me about CCIE. Congratulations on cracking that! You must be quite proud of that achievement. Yes, I agree about practice only if it's your calling. But I would presume that if you want to be a writer (which is what the post was about) then you have already discovered your calling.

      Thank you for reading my books. As regards reaching out to me for guidance, please do read the FAQs on my website
      I wish you the very best with your writing!

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    2. Anonymous10:36 AM

      Thanks for the link to FaQ's Preety. That preety much sums up everything that one needs to know about writing and getting published. Fantastic 👍 and thank God u didn't refer me to that link " why I can't read your stuff" as that would have been more embarrassing lol. I can understand how people can be so irritating sometimes 😊. It happens with every expert of any field but I like your way of tackling it. 👍Semi- rant reply is better than no reply. Reading your books is in itself a coaching from your side. I learn so much from your books and ofcourse from your blogs too. And I understand that with a lot in your kitty, it makes no sense for anyone to ask you to read their articles or expecting personal guidance. Bingo 👍

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  7. Please do post about habit building.

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  8. Your blog posts are always an inspiration.

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