Letters to the Editor
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The one thing succesful writers have in common
The Paris Review ran a series of interviews with successful writers. The one thing they had in common was a fixed, immutable writing schedule. One impervious to deaths of family members (some will take offense to this, but writers aren't necessarily nice people--I grew up with one). The LW's father does not appear to have this businesslike attitude.
Another trait is independence. In view of the number of rejections most authors face, a certain independence is needed. The need for constant approval and reassurance is antithetical to the writer's sanity.
Finally, it takes 10 to 15 years to find a voice, on the average. But the most important variable in all of this is a fixed writing schedule.