Self confidence is an essential ingredient in building a wanna-be writer’s success.

Young writers have energy and enthusiasm and hopefully the ability to succeed in this challenging field. Retirees bring a lifetime of experience and professional knowledge to the task. Harnessing any of those attributes requires self-confidence.

Unfortunately, no matter what their age, many would-be authors find their self confidence withers when they actually sit down to write and come face-to-face with a blank computer screen.

There’s a very simple secret to developing a positive self-image as an author. Write, write and write some more. Well known novelist Lawrence Block states it well, “We develop (writing) by practicing it. Whatever writing we do helps us to become better writers.”

The Secret is Discipline

Lawrence Block is right, but sitting down at your computer every day for a prescribed period of time requires discipline. The commitment really is not terribly demanding. While most professionals write anywhere from four to six hours a day, you can comfortably turn out a finished book by devoting no more than two to three hours to the task daily. But you must be meticulous about sticking to your routine.

Age Isn’t a Factor

When starting on this new venture, don’t ever allow yourself to feel that age is a deterrent to writing well. Quite the opposite is true, and that should help to build your confidence. The basic tools required to turn out quality work are the same whether you are 60, 70 or even a 16-year-old teenager.

Younger wanna-be’s may not have the lengthy experience, but they do have the drive and the get-up-and-go that I mentioned earlier. Their comfort level with the digital world is a huge advantage.

A retiree has gained knowledge and should gain confidence from years of hands-on involvement in his/her career or from personal activities like raising a family. If you’ve enjoyed a lifelong hobby, you have expertise that comes only from having watched your favorite pastime develop over the decades.

No matter what you choose to write about, looking back from your “senior perch” gives you a unique perspective on life and a level of experience that will impress an editor or a literary agent.

Set Your Own Routine

A lot of us bridle when we hear aggravating catch words and phrases like stick-to-itiveness or keep your nose to the grindstone. They bring back memories of grammar school homework and our parents’ admonitions. But sticking to a disciplined schedule of writing is the only effective gateway to building your skills as an author. You can set your own routine, one that is comfortable for you. But you must follow it conscientiously.

In the magazine Poets

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