Found a great post on the secret to being a writer for a living. The secret? There is no secret.

The post is by Karen Traviss on the starwars.com blogs site. Basically, Travis says, "There are no secrets to writing for a living. Like diets and giving up smoking, the answer is obvious but it's also so hard to do that many people won't manage it."

How true. Like the Nike motto, just do it. In my experience, it's like going to the gym or being on a diet. Once you get the momentum going, you can keep going. But, once you fall off the wagon, it's really hard to get back on. Well, no, that's not true. That's where the procrastination sets in. You put off getting back on.

To make it a little easier to get back on the wagon, Travis says to have a goal. She personally set out a five-year detailed business plan. I don't think one needs to go that far but it is important to define what you want. "Define it as accurately as you can - whether that's, 'I need to make this much money per year' or 'I want ten books in print by 2007.' The more detail you can define, the easier it is to focus and plan. It also enables you to work out what you'll have to cut out of your life to make it happen."

Holly Lisle has some good advice on planning too. She says beginning writers need to "set a page limit for yourself and do a little outline."

What do you do to keep your writing career on track?