One of the most common questions out there for writers (and I’m as guilty of anyone of asking it) is, “How do you get published?” It comes in many forms: how to break-in to the business, what is the best genre to write in or the best story to tell, etc.

None of that really matters, though.

Why?

Because you aren’t writing, that’s why.

This is a hard and painful truth, especially for me. I call myself a writer and a storyteller. I consider myself one and have since I was a kid. But the hard and fast truth is that I don’t put ass in chair and write often enough to “break into the business” or “get published.”

I daydream a lot, write myself notes, scribble story ideas here and there, and generally have some fun with the idea of being a “real storyteller” someday. I read a lot of books, enjoy the stories, and find things in them that I would like to be able to replicate, or do better, or just know that I’ll never be able to do.

If I want to get published, I know that I need to put time into the words. Like I’m doing now. Any type of writing, even random posts like this, is good. Getting words from brain, to hands, to keyboard or paper, is good. It is a creative act. The more I do it, the better I will get, and the closer I will get to the dream I’ve had since I first picked up a book: becoming a published storyteller.

So, if you are like me and want to get published, stop reading this, and go write something of your own.