: Re: How can you tell that you have what it takes to be an author? Many young (and adult) people like the idea of being an author. Many even write short stories, or novels, or movie scripts,

@Goswami879

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You know how John Grisham found out if he had what it took to be an author? He wrote a book and tried to get it published. That's how everyone finds out if they have what it takes.

A few caveats - Grisham, like most aspiring writers, had a day job. In his case he was able to use his day job as a direct contribution to his writing - he was a lawyer and wrote books about the law. Handy. But even if you're working in a 7-11, you can still take things from your job (people you see, thoughts you have, etc.) and use them for your writing.

So you don't have to make the choice between making a living and trying to make it as an author. You can do both, as most authors have.

Also, the idea of "what it takes" makes it sound like a static condition. That is, people either have what it takes or they don't, and if they don't there's nothing to be done. Most people who start writing produce crap, often for quite a while. But if they stick with it, they get better. There's debate about whether innate, unchangeable talent for writing exists, but even if it does, the vast majority of writers also have to put a lot of work into their craft. I'd say it takes a mix of raw talent, positive attitude toward critiques, and practice in order to be a successfully published author. Someone could probably be a good writer with only two of them, but will probably need all three in order to be great.

But the only way to know whether your current work is good enough to publish is to submit it for publication and see what happens.

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