<span style="color: #000000;">A writing career is different from other occupations. A writer has to make up their route to success. There’s no policy and procedure manual, no checklist for success. What to do and how to do it is solely up to the individual author.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Each day brings unchartered waters especially in the current, ever-changing face of publishing. </span><span style="color: #000000;">There are good days and bad. Success and rejections. The emotional wave is like a roller coaster ride. Up one day. Downhill fast the next.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">More than any other job, at least as far as jobs I've ever had go, writers control their destiny. At the same time writers can become their own worst enemy.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">By that, I mean we tend to sabotage our success.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;"><a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/1970-pogoposter.gif"><span style="color: #000000;"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3564" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/1970-pogoposter.gif?w=206" alt="1970-pogoposter" width="206" height="300" /></span></a>Or, in the immortal words of POGO, “We meet the enemy and it is us!”</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Not familiar with Pogo Possum?</span>

<span style="color: #000000;"><a href="http://www.okeswamp.com/your-visit/pogo-and-walt-kelly" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000000;">He’s the anthropomorphic comic strip animal created by Walt Kelly in 1948</span></a></span>

<span style="color: #000000;">The poster pictured on the left was created by Mr. Kelly for the first Earth Day in 1971. To read the more about POGO and Walt Kelly, click<a href="http://www.britannica.com/biography/Walt-Kelly" target="_blank"> here</a>. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Why do I believe POGO writers can be their own worst enemy? </span><span style="color: #000000;">I see signs, and I've seen writers exhibiting these characteristics fail. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;"><strong>You're a POGO writer if...</strong></span>

<strong><em><span style="color: #000000;">1.You spend too much time and energy focused on mimicking the writing and style of some other author.</span></em></strong>

<span style="color: #000000;">We’re spinning our wheels and wasting our words when we do this.  The publishing world already has Janet Evanovich, J.K. Rowling, Steven King, and Nora Roberts. Their success is their success. You can’t copy and get there! Every writer has his own path to carve.</span>

<strong><em><span style="color: #000000;">2. You obsess with following THE RULES.</span></em></strong>

<span style="color: #000000;">Don’t get me wrong. THE RULES are important.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Once you understand the basics—things like POV, dialogue, setting, character, plot, theme, etc., you have to trust your instincts and what works for <b>your</b> story.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Rules are very important guidelines. Writing, on the other hand, is an art form that entails experimentation, innovation, and expansion. Don’t be so hung up on THE RULES you lose your own sense of story.</span>

<strong><em><span style="color: #000000;">3. You buy into every new way to write or plot that a writing expert suggests.</span></em></strong>

<span style="color: #000000;">Learning craft, studying writing experts is important. I'm not arguing it's not necessary to study the craft of writing. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Heaven knows I’ve spent a fortune learning from some of the top teachers in writing craft, and I improved my writing skills by leaps and bounds.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">I've also learned that all the classes and workshops in the world are wasted if I’m not producing.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">More importantly, I realize that writing experts don’t always know what’s right for <i>me or my writing process</i>. Once you find <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">the</span></em> process that works best with your personality and lifestyle, you need to stick with it. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Btw, if you're interested, I’d be delighted to share the names of those experts I highly recommend, just email me. </span>

<strong><em><span style="color: #000000;">4. You're unable to take criticism or believe everything anyone says about your story.</span></em></strong>

<span style="color: #000000;">Either of these positions can be fatal. Critiques and reviews are an essential part of every writer's life.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">No denying bad critiques or reviews hurt. Surviving a brutal criticism or review of your work definitely isn’t for the fainthearted. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">You have to develop an elephant hide and learn to weigh the opinions expressed for exactly what they’re worth then make up your own mind. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">It is YOUR story, after all.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Strong writers survive…and often produce better stories from hard critiques or bad reviews.</span>

<strong><em><span style="color: #000000;">5. You're not writing.</span></em></strong>

<span style="color: #000000;">This sign is the most telling of all. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Who doesn't struggle with the procrastination parasite from time to time? </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">But a successful writing career requires disciple and focus. Whether moved by the muse or not, a professional goes to the keyboard or grabs a pencil every day.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">I know what you're thinking. Authors have to promote and develop reader relationships, which cuts into writing time. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Very true, but </span><span style="color: #000000;">I would argue that the key to gaining recognition and readership (<em>aka success</em>) is writing the next story.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">Do you recognize POGO writer signs in yourself? If so, now that you know, you can defeat the enemy. </span>

<span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;">Close this browse and get back to writing! </span></span>