Writing Lesson #15: Professional Attitude

Seventeen years with the writing group means I'm accustomed to my work being eviscerated. As far as writing groups go, we pull no punches. When I workshopped DEATH SCENE, it got a fairly harsh review.

In most cases, however, I found I couldn't disagree with the criticism. I tried to address these problems in later drafts; my editor came out with very similar comments during the editing process.

Understanding that my writing is far from perfect, then, I tend to take on board criticism and suggestions during the editing process and most of the time I change the manuscript accordingly. Hence, during the editing rounds on both books, my editor sent me suggested changes, I made them, and sent the manuscript back to her. I didn't know it at the time, but this apparently is helping me build a reputation as a good writer to work with. It seems that not all writers take suggestions for change to their manuscript with as much cheerful acceptance as I. Some make a whole lot more fuss.

And this brings me onto the subject of this post: professional attitude. Now, if you're a mega best-selling author, and your publishing company is making gazillions from your books, you can probably afford to be a diva who throws tantrums all over the place and people will still fall over themselves to work with you. For the rest of us, however, it pays to have a professional attitude. Editors and publishers are much more likely to want to work with you if you prove yourself to be easy to work with, willing to take on board the changes they want to make and return edits and all the paperwork in a timely manner.

Being a professional writer is about attitude. If you were an employer and you hired someone who never did what they were asked to do, who never turned up to work on time, and who whined on and on about not being in the right mindset to do what was asked of them, chances are they wouldn't be your employee for very long.

Being a writer should be regarded in the same way. It's a career. OK, it's not one that pays the bills for many of us, but it's a career all the same, and if you want people to take you seriously, you should treat it as a serious business

Maintaining the attitude is in itself is a full time job. You never know when you might run into someone socially who might be a potential punter for your book. They're much more likely to buy it if they find you an agreeable person. This is why I carry my 'writer' business cards everywhere I go. Unlike the day job, which I can leave behind at five o'clock, I try to remember to wear my 'author face' whenever I'm out in public.

Being a writer is more than just creating the words. It's about being the kind of writer publishers want to work with. About being a a writer with the right attitude. These factors all become important when you build your brand.

And that's a topic for a future post...