So what puts you on the staircase to successful authorship?

Here are the seven first steps I've found over the years that can make the climb easier from being a writer-in-waiting to a professional author.

In summary – and I'll expand upon them as we go:

1. Have something worthwhile to say.

2. Read widely.

3. Study how words work best for you.

4. Research your topic thoroughly (it’s the best part of any book).

5. Discipline yourself to write every day (I’ve a few good tips).

6. Write – and Rewrite (and then rewrite it again.)

7. Learn to love your editor (a good one is indispensible).

They’re not necessarily simple steps or quick ones. There’s rarely an easy way in the committed practice of any art.

But they are sensible steps … techniques that work for me, and I hope some of which will help you. So that even when Calliope is sleeping you can say, ‘Never mind her’ – and allow them to carry you upward to your own goal of literary publication.

Next time: More steps...

Photo: The Grand Escalier at the Bordeaux Opera. By Aquilae, Wikipedi Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0