Baby steps to success

Ever wonder how books and articles get written? I'm not referring to the what-shall-I-write-about stage. I'm referring to the time writers find to get the writing done. One of the big myths in the writing life is that only those who are able to write 24/7 (so to speak) will succeed. It just ain't so.

Consider my cousin Junior. He writes books, screenplays, articles---and he holds down a demanding full-time job! John, an acquaintance with a management job unrelated to writing, stumbled across a subject that grew into a passion a few years back. He grabbed time wherever he could, and recently put the finishing touches on his book. Both of these fellas have learned that it's possible to have a day job away from their home office, and simultaneously build a satisfying writing career. Though they've never told me how they found that precious commodity, I picture them avoiding that great time-grabber, the tube; starting their day an hour earlier; or maybe finding some nook where they nibble their lunch while scribbling until the company time clock beckons. Surely, a passion burns inside both of them that makes writing a priority.

Fact is, in these hard, hard economic times, a writer first has to be able to pay the bills for all the obvious reasons: eating, sleeping, living as comfortably as possible. While a life devoted to only writing pursuits is a golden dream for many, it's not always a realistic one.

What is realistic is to take baby steps every day, just as Junior and John do, that'll keep your feet on the road that may eventually lead to working at home as a full-time writer. If the passion to write is there, a little thing like a detour to success should never have the power to douse it.