Discipline - A-Z Challenge - Starting & Sustaining A Writing Career

Writers who aren't hobbyists will offer the same information I'm about to share here. A key ingredient for the career writer is discipline, which has to be applied early in the journey. 

It's a good idea to form the habit of writing as often as you can. Many writers recommend writing daily, but that might not be possible all the time. The important thing, however, is to get used to working toward a target. Holding yourself accountable will get your there. The definition of discipline I like best is 'activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training'

If you're just starting out, there's no better time to teach yourself how to plan your activities so they yield maximum returns. Before I earned my first publishing contract, I wrote before work, during lunch time and in the evenings. While the writing was a mess, by the time I knew what I was doing (can you say tons of editing?), I had enough books written to ensure I got two additional contracts on the heels of the first.

Each book you produce helps to sell others, so keep busy and add to your body of work gradually. This has worked well for me and it's a proven sales strategy. If I click on any of my books on Amazon, the 'readers-who-bought-this-book-also-bought-xxxx' feature will show that people go on to buy other books I've written.

There's no excuse for not sitting down to write as often as you can. You'll be grateful you did when your books hit the marketplace and readers start asking when the next book will be out. The time to write as much and as often as you can is now when you aren't writing under pressure to produce the next book. Published writers know that time becomes a scarce commodity once their first book goes on sale. There's no time like the present and the time to be disciplined is now.
 
Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It requires you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing and a season for reaping. Self-discipline helps you know which is which.
                                                                  - Gary Ryan Blair