These habits of highly effective writers are based in part on 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists, which is a fab round-up of writing advice from published authors (a book I wish I’d written!). Some of these writing tips will give you something new to chew on…and others will make you cringe at how difficult writing well really is…

Before the tips, a quip:

“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” – Orson Scott Card

An important habit of highly effective writers is to develop your “idea muscle.” Practice seeing ideas wherever you go — and more importantly, recognizing the great book or article ideas (ideas that sell). For excellent writing advice, click on Andrew McAleer’s 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. And, read on for eight habits of successful writers…

8 Habits of Highly Effective Writers

1. Keep flexing your idea muscle. “The key is to train your mind to find ideas and to realize that they can come from anywhere,” writes McAleer in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “As you hone your idea-detector, you will quickly learn that finding ideas is not difficult. Ultimately, it’s how you use these ideas that makes all the difference.” Read Tips for Recognizing Great Article Ideas for more info.

2. Make your characters bleed. “The next time you watch your favorite sitcom or drama, observe that all of the scenes are arguments,” writes Tom Sawyer in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “Stories – both comedy and drama – are about people expressing their emotions. Letting go. We enjoy watching people who are acting out – because by comparison our own lives and emotions are dull (read: quietly suppressed).” A habit of highly effective writers is to build conflict, suspense, and tension into everything you write – from articles to pamphlet copy to blog posts.

3. Stop comparing yourself to other writers. “There will always be someone who writes faster, or slower, or gets a bigger advance, or better advertising,” writes Carrie Vaughn in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “Everyone’s career and writing process is a little different. Follow your own path.” You’re not Stephen King or Martha Beck? No worries. Be yourself.

4. Build a firm foundation. “The plot, like the foundation of a house, is the structure on which all else is built,” writes Mary Higgins Clark in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “No matter how glib the writing, how enchanting the characters, if the plot doesn’t work, or if it works only because of flagrant coincidence or seven-page explanations of the climax, the book is a failure.” To extend this habit of effective writers to successful freelance writing, remember that the structure of your article is similar to the plot of a book.

5. Re-read novels you wished you’d written. “The first time, read for pleasure,” writes Cinda Williams Chima in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “Enter the dream of fiction and stay there. If the book is stunningly good, read it a second time to found out the how of it. Reading for craft takes the juice out of fiction, but it is a fabulous way to learn how to write well.” This habit of highly effective writers may take the fun out of reading…but it will improve your writing skills immensely.

6. Write powerful query letters. “Remember that agents (and editors and publishers) get thousands of submissions each year, so keep your query letter to one page,” writes McAleer in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “The content of the query letter must be powerful and designed to sell, but keep the format simple because for an agent (and editor), time is of the essence. And yes, time is money.” Writing “rules” can be effectively broken sometimes – it just depends on who and what you’re querying.

7. Get used to disappointment. “A writing career is nothing more than a long series of disappointments punctuated by occasional moments of success,” writes Michael Bracken in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “Maintaining a long writing career involves a little bit of talent, a little bit of luck, and a great deal of determination.”

8. Adjust your expectations of a literary agent. “An agent is your employee, which is sometimes a difficult concept to understand, when it seems to be the agents who are ‘accepting’ or ‘rejecting’ the writer,” writes Joan Johnston in 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists. “Don’t depend on your agent to set the course of your career. He or she can advise you, but you should be the captain of your own ship. You should have some idea of what you’re worth and tell your agent what you expect in terms of an advance, how many books you want in the contract, etc.”

If you have any thoughts or questions on these habits of highly effective writers, please comment below…