Questions writers should ask themselves.

I’ve collected this list of questions writers should ask themselves through a combination of research and experience. You may have read some of these before, and maybe even thought about them, but it’s never a bad time to go over them again. I sat and thought about each one again myself while compiling this list:

1. Why do you want to be published?
2. What genre do you want to write in?
3. Do you want to write the kind of story you like to read?
4. What expectations do you have for your writing?
5. But are they realistic?
6. What do you know about publishing?
7. Do you know about vanity publishing and why you should keep away?
8. When are you most productive?
9. Can you stick to a writing schedule?
10. What can you write about that no one else can? Because your experiences unique!
11. What do you see in the world that others don’t?
12. Why are your favourite writers your favourite writers?
13. Are there any other skills you can learn to assist your writing?
14. But what additional skills could you learn to help you in the publishing process?
15. What are the likely barriers to acheiving your goals?
16. What happens if you don’t get published?
17. How can you build an audience of potential readers?
18. What do you know about marketing in literature?
19. How will you keep on writing even when you lose motivation?
20. What about money, because that can be hard?
21. How will you get access to writing groups for critique?
22. What would you do if you couldn’t write?
23. How would you feel if you were forbidden to write?
24. Do you like to plan stories or write freely?
25. Is there something that could make you give up writing for good?
26. Will you experiment with other forms of writing and genres such as poetry, for example?
27. Have you thought about self-publishing?
28. Should you enter writing contests?
29. Do you have the time?
30. Finally, do you know what it takes?

By answering this list of questions writers should ask themselves, you learn more about yourself as a writer and how far you are willing to travel to become a success. The best thing about these questions is that the definition of success is up to you, so think about who you are, what you want, and go and get it!