The Importance of Leadership to Writers
Everything starts with the writer. You might not think of it that way, but many people’s lives and livelihoods depend upon you, or will. An assistant, agent, editor, publisher, bookstore, or film studio cannot make a living without you. Readers have nothing to read, viewers have nothing to view, if it were not for you. You are the central person, the leader, in all your creative endeavors, or you will be.
Feel liberated? Does it give you confidence?
I often find writers, especially beginning writers, think of themselves somewhere down at the bottom of the food chain, maybe under the mud in some lake somewhere, but nothing could be further from the truth. Writers are the START of the food chain. Everything begins with the words you write. That’s how important you are to the entire economic model. A good writer is a person upon whom numerous livelihoods depend. A good writer realizes this. A good writer also becomes, and knows she has to become, a good leader, if not a great one, because of the creative force and personnel involved in sustaining a writing career.
Writers, as do all creative individuals, face insurmountable odds. It is dependent upon the writer to lead not only himself and his career past these odds, but also to lead the team. Without a leader, things don’t happen, careers are not made. And who better to have a vision of what your future should hold than you? It is your job to share that vision with the team and lead them forward by providing them with the materials and tools they need – your excellent and consistent writing – to make that happen.
So, when you think that no one cares, that rejections are personal and against you, think again. Without you as the writer, the entire publishing world would crumble. As a leader, you just need to build the perfect team. If you don’t have that team, keep plugging. If you’ve got excellent writing, you’ll find the team. Still think you’re under the mud? You’re not. Strive forward with excellent writing to be the leader the industry needs.
Great writing. A vision for the future. A plan of action to get there. The understanding that your own excellence is the basis for everything to follow. These are the things careers are made of.
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