Dear writers on the Medium platform — I believe ever since you started writing on Medium, at one moment or another, you’ve probably dreamed of becoming a well-known author, just like J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.

It could be always a good idea, at least once, that you’ve held a published book in your hand and boasted, “I could write better than this!”. However, let’s calm down and ask yourself first — are you ready to be a author yet? Are you sure you can succeed in such a competitive area?

And, how can you know whether you have the potential to become a serious writer?

Here let’s see some angles that might be able to tell if you are an author material:

You Constantly Write

As a potential author, you’ve a portfolio of short stories, articles, poems, anecdotes, novel outlines, or other samples on your particular niche. Your collection of work indicates your commitment in writing. It is necessary to weed out people who want to be writers but haven’t actually written anything.

You Constantly Read

This is simple, and this makes sense. You should consider reading both pleasure and research, but not a “torture”. During your reading, you absorb others’ ideas and probably transform them into your writings. Though you are constantly analyzing content, style, and other vital elements of good writing, you still have the ability to become engrossed in the pages of a book.

Your Content Is Desired By Someone

You should have some criteria that readers cannot find from other writers. From the economic perspective, it is the demand and supply issue — you can supply only if there is demand.

Perhaps you can weave an incredibly entertaining story. Maybe you are a fountain of knowledge in a highly specialized area. It could be you’ve experienced either the tragic or the miraculous–and lived to tell the tale. In any case, your mind contains material others will want to read about.

Photo by Fabiola Peñalba on Unsplash

You Have Unique Ways To Tell An Ordinary Thing

Excellent writing is all about fresh angles. There are virtually no new subjects, only new ways of looking at them. Your ability to see things, people or situations in a different way catapults your writing past ordinary.

You Are Highly Self-Motivated

Despite your passion for it, writing is boring sometimes. You are also need to self-motivated to finish a piece of writing for the feeling of accomplishment. There’s a story inside you that needs to be told, whether it gets published or not.

You Are A Good Team-Player

Indeed publishing a book is a project. Though you may be the only author, but this is a team project. As a potential author, you look forward to working with an editor. You see their expertise as a blessing and are flexible enough to implement their suggestions. Besides the editor, you have to deal with other parties such as the publisher, illustrator and more.

To read more of Mike's writing, CLICK HERE