by Whitney Carter

“I hate writing, I love having written.” – Dorothy Parker

Do you know what the single most important characteristic of a writer is? Determination. Determination translates to the discipline that sees you to writing even when you don’t feel like it, into perseverance to keep submitting in the face of rejection and through the writer’s blocks and headaches and heartaches that are the process of stringing words together.

You can be buoyed by a number of things – scenes swirling in your head, the dream of seeing your name in print, or others in your writer’s group who ask when you’re going to submit again. Nevermind the fact that you’ve always been a writer, that’s always been the plan, and if you aren’t a writer… then who are you? All of these things might push you in the right direction, but it’s your own self-determination that brings you back to the keyboard over and over and over again.

You did that; take a moment to enjoy it. But know that the dark reality is that if you continue on in this back and forth pattern, undisciplined, unorganized, someday that determination will be whittled down. And it won’t be enough. It won’t bring you back to your stories, and then one day you’ll realize you’ve truly fallen away from being a writer.

Be determined, and be dedicated. Be the writer you were born to be. Remember that someone out there needs your story.

Alternately titled Determination.

Guest post contributed by Whitney Carter. Whitney is an avid fantasy writer and blogger currently working on her debut novel, Alpha Female. When not writing, she can be found either under a large pile of purring cats or amid collapsed bookshelves. You can find more of her work here and here.