This is a useful list of bad habits to avoid, as posted on Kirsten Lamb’s blog—which is one of the best writing blogs around:
13 Things Mentally Strong Writers Don’t Do
Self-motivation is one of the toughest aspects of a writer’s life—finding ways to keep on keeping on—when everyone appears to be against you.
The thought occurred to me recently, after making my 60th query in the latest round of chasing literary agents, that creative writing must be the loneliest of the arts. A painter can always get someone to look at their work, an actor will perform in small drama productions while seeking their big break and musicians perform at gigs.
But a writer labours for thousands of hours, making their story, then agonises about how to sell it as a commercial product—sending out submissions to agents and publishers—and hearing nothing back.
I keep myself going with various inspiring aphorisms, including this one by Robert Schuller:
