by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

Put a dozen writers in a room, and you will learn twelve different ways to have a successful writing career. The reason being each person has a different definition of success. 

As you walk through the rest of 2023 and begin planning for 2024, I have three tips to help you develop a successful writing career.

1. Define YOUR Success

What does success mean to you? Do you define it by the milestones you achieve? The goals you meet? The awards and accolades you procure? 

My success is defined by my personal and professional growth. Sometimes, I have to wear blinders so I’m not comparing myself to others and diluting the successes in my own life. 

Comparison is the thief of joy, so don’t compare yourself to others in terms of who is more successful. Defining success is personal and it’s a bit subjective. What I consider successful may be an eye roll to someone else. As we grow in our relationships with the Lord and others, our definition of success may change as well. 

Additionally, we have different strengths and weaknesses. It’s not fair to compare yourself to another writer—not to you or them. Embrace who you are and how God created you. Know your strengths. Know your weaknesses. Do what works for this season of your life. As your seasons change, so will your priorities and rates of productivity.  As Tari Faris once said, “Own your journey.”

2. Find Your Why

In order to empower yourself and others toward leading a healthy, successful life, you need to know what you want and why you’re doing it. 

That WHY is the motivation for why we brainstorm, plot, and write those novels. Each of our whys will be different, depending on the calling God has placed on our hearts. 

Once you know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you can create action steps to do what needs to be done.

3. K.I.S.S. Your Focus

I’m sure you’ve all heard about K.I.S.S.—Keep it simple, sweetheart. Maintaining simplicity in your life helps things to go smoother…most of the time. Keeping a simplistic focus takes time and the willingness to establish that habit for a healthier creative environment. I do this in several ways: 

• Clear the clutter. I’ve created a morning routine that nourishes my mind, body, and soul. Between Bible reading, exercise, and establishing healthy habits, I can sit and write without distractions.
• Focus on words. Finding time to write is tough, so I need to schedule it in my planner and make it a part of my daily routine. I do my best to eliminate distractions so I can get the words on the page. 
• Establish boundaries. I started writing while my boys were young. In fact, I often wrote with one of them sitting on my lap while my arms stretched around them to reach the keyboard. Additionally, I ran my own demanding business and worked full-time a minimum of ten hours a day Monday through Friday. From 2006-2009, I was also going to college in the evenings to get my degree in early childhood education. Finding time to write was a challenge, but because I wanted it, I found ways—getting up earlier before my boys needed to be awake for school, writing on weekends, writing in the evenings after homework, writing after my boys went to bed. My first book was published in 2011. My progress has been slow, but I made it happen. And you can too. 

You may be in a current season of life that makes finding writing time difficult. Remember, this season isn’t permanent. You will need to re-evaluate your values and your priorities on a regular basis to find a system that works best for you. So be flexible with your time and offer yourself grace. 

No matter the season, always be willing to change and grow. Trust God with your life and your career. Remain teachable and listen to advice from trusted mentors and industry professionals. Manage expectations and adjust them…as well as your attitude if necessary. Most of all, remain obedient and be willing to walk through the doors the Lord opens for you. He had a plan and a purpose for your life and for your career. When you trust Him with both, He will keep your paths straight, and that’s the best way to develop a successful writing career. 

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Redeeming the Cowboy

How does a cowboy know when to hang on

…and when to let go?

Five years ago, bull rider Bear Stone lost everything. His best friend. His fiancée. His career. And Piper Healy, his best friend’s wife, never forgave him for the rodeo accident that killed her husband. Now they’re working together to save his family’s ranch. But can this cowboy choose between his last chance at the rodeo…and the woman he’s falling for?

Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Cynthia Ruchti of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa is an award-winning, bestselling author for Harlequin’s Love Inspired imprint, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Happily married to her own real-life hero for over thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two sons. By day, she is the operations manager for Novel Academy, an online writing academy powered by My Book Therapy. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys quality family time, being creative with photos, fibers, and paper, or getting lost in a good book. Learn more about her at lisajordanbooks.com.