To be successful, writers must be comfortable with failure.

Remember that no first attempt at a short story, novel or nonfiction book will be perfect. In fact, it probably will be more awful than good.

The challenge is to learn from the experience – to identify what can be improved and how to do so, and then to try again by writing another draft.

Remember that no second draft of a short story, novel or nonfiction book will be perfect either. This new version, though, should be better, more refined and markedly less bad that the first draft.

And so you examine again what went wrong, explore techniques to make it better, and write yet another draft.

Remember, almost no third draft of a short story, novel or nonfiction book will be perfect either. But you know what to do…write another draft.

And then another draft and another and another until you get it just the way you want it.

I know, it sounds dull. It’s not magical. Rather than grow bored with this process, though, you must instead maintain momentum. As you revise and rewrite, you must grow excited that the manuscript is getting better and better with each draft.

To maintain your enthusiasm, you must come to understand that “failure” is part of the writing process. Embrace it, and you’ll succeed!