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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/30967
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'm looking for a list of the basics that successful published novel writers actually do. This list would also include specific things which they do not do.

For example, I don't believe any successful published author actually asks her relatives (or other amateurs) for advice on her writing.

**Why Wouldn't Successful Published Authors Ask For Advice?**

Actually, the reason that successful published authors do not ask for advice about how good or bad their writing might be is because the people around them are probably not great writers themselves and would not have much to add.

**Is This Difficult to Accept?**

If this is difficult to accept then consider Hemingway asking his relatives if they believed his draft of _The Old Man and the Sea_ was any good. Ridiculous.

Okay, so how about modern successful published authors? How about Ken Follet (Pillars of the Earth series - [A Column of Fire](http://amzn.to/2zFZ62W)) asking his wife, "Honey, do you think this draft is any good? Should I be a writer?" It probably never happened.

How about Sue Grafton ( mystery writer of Kinsey Millhone fame [Y Is For Yesterday](http://amzn.to/2xVQjwt))? Can you imagine her changing her words because her nephew said he thought the writing didn't do a good job of characterizing her villain. No.

So, in this case, we can probably take away some knowledge that successful published authors do not ask amateurs if their writing is good.

**The Inverse of Asking If Their Writing Is Good**

Actually, this probably indicates another thing about successful published authors. They can tell when their writing is good on their own.

So let's start the list with those two.

- Successful published authors do not ask amateurs for advice about how good their writing is.
- Successful published authors can tell their writing is good on their own.

Can you offer other specific items like these?

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