Thread: Mistakes writers make (young, new, inexperienced, etc. we& #39;ve all made a few here are some I know by heart)

1- You think your talent is enough. It& #39;s not.
2- You send an important email and either a. forget to Cc someone important, or b. intentionally don& #39;t Cc someone important c. accidentally Cc someone important

Yikes. Double check.
3- You think your career will be a straight line up. Once you make your bones, or once you break through, or once you ______. It won& #39;t be. Plan ahead. Save money anytime you have money. Plan for the backside.
4- I say this one a lot: being a successful writer is a game of sardines, not a game of hide and seek. You MUST build a team. You& #39;re only as successful as the team you build. (TIP: avoid sociopaths & have potential team members take The Dark Triad test: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/SD3/ ">https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/SD3... )
5- Not realizing your entire career is in a fish bowl. Whether an email you send a friend or rep, or a post here on Twitter, or just the ol& #39; grape vine:

Assume that everything you ever write or say or do will end up on CNN someday. EVERYTHING.
6- Not realizing you& #39;re already building your reputation. People talk. This is the only thing you have that matters. Whether you& #39;re in it for your ego, or you& #39;re in it for your team, get your priorities straight. Know that other people can see right through you. Command respect.
7- The mistake of not realizing that people only do business with people they like. The note here isn& #39;t be like-able. It& #39;s be the real you. Some people won& #39;t like you. "Next" them quickly. Move on to those who get you. Partner them. This will save you years of pain.
8- I encounter writers who don& #39;t spend enough time focusing on the craft early on. They don& #39;t know what they want to say. Or they have a big agenda of what they want to say, but don& #39;t know the poetry of the craft. Let the craft teach you - put in the hours, the research, heart
9- READ. Read more. Read everything in front of your eyeballs (yes, even ads!). Discover in what you read what you hate- what you don& #39;t want to be; what you love- what you want to be more of. Find your influences. Borrow. Learn. Grow. Practice. Fail. Continue.
10 - Honor the connections and intros others make for you. If someone tees up an intro for you- follow through, play full out. The intro you fail to follow through on is the intro you won& #39;t get next time from that person who risked their own reputation to position you.
11- You& #39;re prickly about notes. Oops. Get over it. As a novelist or a screenwriter, your work will ALWAYS be shaped by others: editors, networks, publishing houses, showrunners. Your success is riding on your ability to make others feel good about sharing notes with you!
12- In business, as a writer or anywhere, if you get a "yes", stop talking. Pivot to the next phase of the deal.

Say, "Thank you!" and collect your check. Yay!

END.
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