Four Steps to Transform Yourself from Unpaid Writer to Successful Author

Last year I made the decision to schedule writing hours for myself and it changed my life.

I am the stay-at-home mother of three school-age children who are busy. They attend public school, play sports, and are involved in organizations such as travel soccer, 4H, our church, and the National Pony Club.

Each organization relies on volunteer and fundraising support. I jumped in to help, but once I got involved, I watched in dismay as my free time vanished. My fantasy was to write novels once my youngest child started school. Instead I was immersed in volunteering and my writing came last, at the end of the day when there was nothing left of me.

Most of us are bombarded by the needs of others. Can you relate? It's important to help, but I wasn't living in balance. I gave away all my free hours and with them, my dreams.   

Last year I changed my thinking. I realized no one would respect my writing time if I didn't respect it first. I reduced my volunteer commitments and made a public declaration that I would be writing each day and not answering my phone. I felt silly setting hours for my "hobby", but it was an important first step. It announced to the world that I took my writing seriously.

The next step was to adhere to the hours. This was a struggle--not because I found it difficult to write--but because I felt guilty and selfish saying no even though I had not quit volunteering altogether. People were used to seeing me at school everyday and I received comments like, "Where have you been? Don't you volunteer anymore?" I felt judged for taking a step back. It was tough, but it got better with time. People became used to my new schedule, and more importantly, I became used to my new schedule. 

The key to making this transition work was committing to my new hours as though I was getting paid for them. Once I set hard writing boundaries and stuck to them, the people in my life fell in line behind me and began to believe in me too. 

The third step was to seek readers. Fiction writing is a transaction that is not complete until it is received by a reader. I decided to try my hand at self-publishing. The experience of writing for readers was new, exciting, and deeply satisfying. It challenged me and improved my storytelling. It also showed me that readers are the primary catalyst for any author's success. Whether self-published or traditionally published, a writer must develop a readership to survive.  

The last step was to receive, cultivate, and enjoy my success. Since I set firm writing hours, I developed this blog, started making connections in book publishing, launched a modest paid speaking career, wrote three more novels to completion, and signed with a literary agent. None of this would have happened if I had not made the conscious choice to believe in myself, to take immediate action, and to stick to my guns in spite of life's real and imagined pressures.   

Today I want to encourage all unpaid writers to commit to a professional writing career. Carve out a slot of time five days a week and respect it as though you are paid to do it. Then, and maybe sooner than you think, you will be!

Action Steps

1) Believe--only you can make your dream come true.

2) Act--set writing hours and keep them.

3) Seek--readers and pursue publication.

4) Receive--inspiration and success.

by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

**Update--my agent sold the first four books in my Guardian Herd series to HarperCollins Children's Books. Book one, STARFIRE, releases 09/23/14.