15 Commandments for Writers

I posted these once before and thought now would be a good time to re-post them. I don’t who the original author of these commandments is so if you do please let me know so I can give the author appropriate credit.

As you set your writing goals for the new year, stop and think about this list of commandments for writers.  Which one(s) do you need to work on?

1. Thou shalt think like a professional, starting now.
2. Thou shalt begin and keep going till you’re through.
3. Thou shalt take your efforts and desires seriously.
4. Thou shalt call it work.
5. Thou shalt write for yourself, not the market.
6. Thou shalt not wait for visits from the muse.
7. Thou shalt not ask whether you are good enough.
8. Thou shalt not intimidate yourself by comparing your writing with a published and polished work.
9. Thou shalt not worry whether your idea is new enough.
10. Thou shalt not talk your idea away.
11. Thou shalt not self-censor at all during the first draft.
12. Thou shalt not risk writer’s paralysis by looking for the precise word or being afraid of sounding dumb.
13. Thou shalt not believe that if writing is hard, you must be no good.
14. Thou shalt not set yourself up for failure with impossible goals.
15. Thou shalt not believe in writer’s block.

I hope you find these useful as you pursue your writing.  There has never been a better time to pursue your dream to be a published. Your fans are waiting to read your next book.