I read a how-to-be-a-writer book several years ago that said, if you are going to be a writer, you have to treat it like a regular job and put the same amount of time (or more) into it as you would a nine to five job. I’ve also read that eight hours a day isn’t enough. You have to punch out ten to sixteen hours a day in order to break through and be a success.

I imagine the true of it is neither one of these. The bottom line is, if a writer doesn’t actually write consistently, there’s no real chance he or she will be able to publish anything. It does take quite a few hours, weeks, months, even years, to pull together a book that is halfway tight and fluid enough to publish.

Granted, it is easier today, with no gatekeepers standing in your way. Then again, even in this technologically advanced day and age, there are still many hurdles writers much jump through. Declining profitability per book. But, then again, royalties are higher today with digital platforms, so writers don’t have to sell as many to make the same amount of cash. No gatekeepers means good writers can actually get published, but it also means no one is there standing guard – anyone can rush in and publish any old crap.

But, hey, why not?

There was a LOT of crap published to critical acclaim before there ever was an internet. The gatekeepers didn’t really corner the market on picking quality over quantity. In the end, it’s the same as it’s always been.

If you want something bad enough, you have to be willing to work for it.

(I wrote 605 and edited 1451 words today)