Okay, so what do you need to succeed in your writing career?

To keep it simple, I would say just five things - the first four are obvious enough but the last one may shock (and comfort) you.

Let's go through them in order:

Technical ability

This doesn't mean you have to be Saul Bellow or Toni Morrison before you start but it does mean that there is a certain level of competence expected of you before you begin showing your work to the outside world.

But don't beat yourself up about it. It's an ongoing process; writers learn all the time. It's an attitude thing. As long as you're open to the idea that you will need to improve your understanding of the mechanics of writing, then you'll be well placed to absorb new ideas, the teachings of others and learn through reading and study.

Persistence

The past tells us that writers rarely have an easy path to immortality. We all must suffer rejection a thousand times it seems before we are ready for the public to recognize our efforts.

You may despair sometimes at the unfairness. You may be frustrated at every turn by a seemingly uncaring world but - remember this - all writers have been down this well traveled road and the best and most persistent arrive at their destination better equipped to endure - simply because it wasn't too easy.

Make 'never give up' your personal motto and you will succeed - it's the way of the World.

A Little Bit of Talent

Anyone familiar with the content of my ebooks and courses will know my attitudes on talent.

Simply put, it's not some nebulous item that you can pluck out of the air and consume. Neither is it some innate ability that only the chosen few can possess.

Rather it is the courage to 'tell it like it is' and the willingness to hold nothing of yourself back from your writing. You will find that the more open and honest you are (however much it hurts) the more people will describe you as talented and original.

This is because it's your vision of the world that makes you unique - and unique is rare and therefore special.

Make it your goal to always tell the truth in your writing - let that be your talent.

A Little Bit of Luck

On the radio the other day I listened to a Vocational Expert talking about careers. He'd studied 1000 people and was surprised at how many lives had been defined by seemingly chance events. He talked about all the things we're familiar with: the opportune meeting, that phone call, the time we were just following a whim, the totally unexpected break.

His message was clear. All too few of us take luck into account when we plan our careers.

I believe, to a certain extent, we make our own luck. We may plan, we may write, we may persist but we must also learn to let go and follow our intuition. Luck - being in the right place at the right time - has a way of happening whether we plan for it or not. I think the trick is to believe that luck will help you - and, for reasons great and mysterious, it will!

So What's the Secret Ingredient, Rob?

Now, don't groan, or mock, or do that skyward look on me as I tell you the secret ingredient is love.

Let me explain.

You cannot succeed in a vacuum. Success is relative and - in our world - requires the assistance and support of those around us to happen. Therefore, love is the crucial factor that facilitates our success.

First, you must love your writing. Only then will you give it the attention it deserves and make it the best that it can be.

You must love writing, and the writings of others, for showing you the way and for providing the medium of communication that means so much to you.

You must love those around you for the support they can give you. If you show those around you hate or anger or bitterness, they will not want you to succeed and will unconsciously (or sometimes deliberately) sabotage your success. Not good.

You must love the people you deal with in your professional life - the agents, the publishers and fellow writers. Treat them with suspicion and resentment and they will not want to work with you and help you. Love and trust your peers and your contacts and you'll be surprised how much more they are willing to assist and promote you.

But most of all, you must love yourself - the greatest love of all, as they say. Treat yourself kindly, nurture your talent and support your writing habits.

Start here and now, loving what you do and who you are and practice loving everyone and everything around you...you'll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Use love as your secret weapon...and success may be just a whisper away.

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