10 Rules I’ve Lived By Throughout My 72 Years As A Novelist
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Ever since I was conscious, I felt that inexplicable pull to tell a story, to create a scene, to leave a reader wanting to know what would happen next. When life’s responsibilities came knocking, i.e., I had a family to support, my career as a published author was put on hold. However, I knew that nothing would block the path to my dream: to be a full-time writer in control of my career and destiny.
I had a late start as a published writer, at 46-years-old, and since then I’ve published 50+ works, including The War of the Roses, which became the nomenclature of divorce worldwide and turned into a box-office hit. Having been in the creative ballgame for nearly half a century, I have seen the various reincarnations of the publishing industry.
Self-publishing was my way of taking back control of my own destiny. Folks often tell me that I’m the oldest working writer that they know. The truth is: I don’t know how to stop. I work on novels, articles, blog posts, and maintain contact with fans from around the world every single day. I hope my insights and optimism inspire you to persevere through struggle and continue on your writer’s journey.
10 Rules I’ve Lived By As a Novelist
- Do not overanalyse. You can think something to death and never get anything done. Keep moving and don’t look back too often. I find it boring to be constantly looking back. The future is much more exciting.
- Never take rejection of your work to heart. Rejection is an inevitable part of any dream you pursue. I’ve been told ‘no’ many times and never took them seriously. It may be impractical, unwise, foolish, pure madness, but if you truly believe in yourself, your talent, your ideas, your calling, your personal mission, why not, as Lewis Carroll wrote, “go on until the end, and then stop”? My first novel wasn’t published until I was 46 years old. Ignore insults and negative, unproductive feedback. In today’s age, where everything is gone with the flicker of a screen, be happy that your work is garnering attention. Make sure your name is spelled right.
- Mind your morning rituals. I wake up every day at 5 am and write until 10 am, after which I read the various news outlets. Stay informed. Read the news and the world’s happenings around you. Inspiration and enlightenment come from current events. Gaining a new perspective never hurt anyone. The truth is, most times, stranger than fiction.
- Write at least 100 pages before you decide to scrap a novel. Don’t be so quick to toss work to the trash heap. Get to know your characters and story, but also know when to start anew.
- Don’t be afraid of change. Embrace change while staying true to yourself. When digital publishing was in its infancy, few people believed in its power to revolutionize the way people read and I was thought of as crazy, but I was determined to achieve independence as an author and I made it happen.
- Seize opportunity whenever you can. I would never have predicted that my first novel would be published the way it was. I was running a PR agency at the time, when a client walked through my door, asking if I could promote his book. I decided to take a risk and said that I would promote his book free if he published my manuscript. To my utter delight, he agreed and the rest is, as they say, history.
- Think of yourself as an entrepreneur. People who join the fray as individual authors in self-publishing will have to think of themselves as being in business on their own and pursue strategies as with any business venture.
- Never let anyone else control your destiny. Keeping my authorial name alive involves some pretty heavy lifting, investment and optimism, but it’s 100% worth it.
- Stand up for your beliefs and take action. Don’t be afraid to be the first one. I fought to keep a library open in Wyoming that I knew would benefit generations to come and I got my way. I was also a pioneer of the short story contest, launching Jackson Hole Writers Conference.
- Write what you want. I write what I want and I never repeat myself. Writing the same book over and over would bore me. Each novel I’ve written is a different story, a different tone, and genre. Don’t be afraid to colour outside the lines.
I hope that my insights inspire you and reinvigorate your zest for this strange and phenomenal path that we’ve chosen, or more accurately, that has chosen us. What are some of the rules that you live by? Share your thoughts below and share your personal story about why you write on Writers of the World.
by Warren Adler
About the Author: Warren Adler recently launched Writers of the World, an online community for writers to share their stories about why they began writing. Warren Adler’s latest novel, Torture Man, is available now. His Film/TV projects currently in development include the Hollywood sequel to The War of the Roses – The War of the Roses: The Children of the Roses, along with other projects including Fiona Fitzgerald’s Capitol Crimes, a television series based on Warren Adler’s Fiona Fitzgerald mystery novels, as well as a feature film based on Warren Adler and James Humes’ WWII thriller, Target Churchill. Explore more at www.warrenadler.com and www.greyeaglefilms.com.
0 thoughts on “10 Rules I’ve Lived By Throughout My 72 Years As A Novelist”
I like communicating .I am a good listener too.I interact with every age group and a learner for life time .Now that landed me here !
Good tips to live by
These are good tips to use as reminders.
I to am getting even a later start. At almost 54 I finally decided to put out the book that was burning in my soul . And you know , it feels amazing . I appreciate all these tips they all make sense. You could have been a newbie like me and they still would have made perfect sense. I guess I am on the write road. 🙂
Hi Debra,
Maybe it was better for your work to have started later than earlier. Go get it. Good luck.
WA
Good advise and incite!Graduated N.Y.U. “The Heights” 1948 0ne year behind you at same age.Am now 88(The Piano Years) Where did the years go?Have a grandson now 29 who graduated Cornell with a film major.Getting tired of short lived gigs.When do you let go and live a normal life/
Gerry
Met you and Sonny at N.Y.U. reunions in the past..