Why do you want to write? 

What is your motivation and what is your expectation?  Is it fame and fortune?  Is it for a love of the craft and storytelling?  Is it because you have ideas you’d like to explore? 

When it comes to fame and profit, there are six basic tiers:

1. A best-selling author who has achieved both fame and fortune (perhaps 12 per genre worldwide)
2. An author who is successful enough to make it your full-time job (perhaps 1,500 total in the U.S. across all genres)
3. An author who is published but still has to work another job to make ends meet
4. An author whose work is published but without advertising so only your friends and family are likely to find it
5. The same as Step 4, but the novel is shared directly and not published at all
6. An author who writes for your own enjoyment and fulfillment

In other words, if fame and fortune are your goal, you have a chance… but it is a very long one.  You are far more likely to end up bitter and dissatisfied than achieve your ambition.  If your goal is a lower tier, however, your chance of achieving it with a little work is very good!

How much time should you devote to writing?

Becoming a quality writer takes commitment and time.  It requires the formation of a habit.

Without a habit, you are likely to stop and fail.

Only you can determine how much time you can devote to writing amid all of life’s demands.

I recommend shooting for a minimum of 5 hours a week.  Less than that and you are unlikely to form that habit.  It could be 5-hours on a Saturday, one our each weeknight, or any other combination.

Some general snippets of advice

• Don’t quit your day job. Odds are, you’ll never be able to quit.  Writing will be an extra in your life which may or may not bring in a small amount of income.
• While dreaming big is fine, don’t set your heart on fame and fortune or you’ll only set yourself up for disappointment.
• You have to write to become a writer. It takes time and you can’t shortcut that.  Don’t worry if what you start with isn’t that good.  We were all in that place at one point.
• You have to form a habit. Odds are, if you are writing less than five hours a week, this part of your life will die out.  But take that estimate with a grain of salt.  You know yourself and can make the best assessment… but make it with careful consideration.
• The writing market has changed. The big houses still exist and are often the quickest path to those who yearn for the upper tiers, but small publishing and self-publishing are fully viable avenues.  There used to be gatekeepers on any form of printed books but with print on demand and a host of writing and publishing resources out there, anyone can get their book on Amazon at very low cost.  This is why the market is flooded… creating its own challenge… but also its own hope.
• Writing is a lonely craft. Many other creative projects can be done as a community.  That’s possible in some writing circumstances but, for the most part, it is just you sitting down at your keyboard or your writing pad and putting words to screen or paper.  Only you can do it.  That doesn’t mean you can’t reach out for feedback or to brainstorm ideas or challenges… but when it comes down to it, the task is yours and yours alone… should you choose to accept it.