I’m worlds apart from the kick-butt heroine that explodes off the page in my Heart Hunters novel, The Blood She Betrayed. Shahkara is a fugitive princess on a mission to save her people. I’m a run-of-the-mill author hoping to notch up a couple of thousand words by lunch-time.

Yes, she wields a sword and her goals are more epic than mine, but there’s a lot that our heroes and heroines can teach us about our Author Journey. After all, we both fight our demons, just different types. If my goal is to become a successful author, what can I learn from my heroines, Shahkara, Carla and Tash?

1. You need a concrete goal. Wielding a sword for no reason (translation: just thinking about your writing) doesn’t cut it. Both heroines and authors need tangible goals, and to be answerable to those goals. If we don’t learn to master our lives, someone else will master us – and they won’t be mastering us to write books!

2. There’s going to be conflict. The more demanding the quest (and the more wicked the villains), the better the story. It won’t feel like that as sweat slicks our brows as we slay that demon (translation: receive yet another rejection letter) but the tougher the journey, the more satisfying the ending. Suck it up and accept that your quest is pebbled with pitfalls. Savour the bumps and bruises. That’s what makes your journey distinct.

3. Practise, practise, practise. You won’t beat the demons until you can wield a sword competently (translation: Glue your bum to that chair and write daily). The greatest demon we face is our own lack of self-esteem – we need to fight daily against this fellow. To quote Henry Ford, Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!

4. Re-evaluate your weaknesses. Every character has flaws, but these can often be their greatest strengths as well. Shahkara hates her half-demon self, but those razor-sharp talons eventually save the world – but only once she accepts them as part of her. I’m an emotional person and, for a long time, that hampered my goals, but I’m learning to channel those fears and doubts into my writing. Now, all my weaknesses are strengths – and even if they aren’t, I don’t let them get in the way of my goals. I don’t care if I have to walk 10,000 miles more than any other writer, I’ll keep walking because this is my journey.

5. Know the layout of the land. Shahkara enlists the help of human Max to navigate the foreign streets of Brisbane. Likewise, I connect with people and information critical to my career map. I read books. I attend conferences. I’m a member of the QWC. I learn from others who have more knowledge than me. I no longer waste time making stupid mistakes like sending a manuscript to the wrong publisher or sending it off before it’s cooked.

6. Make strong allies. Allies share important information and help you win your battles. Most importantly, they’re there when the chips are down and you need a friendly shoulder to cry on. Demons are never as powerful when we face them together – and don’t forget the power of social media. I treasure some of the friendships I’ve made on Facebook and Twitter and they often bring a smile to my face after a tough day.

7. Prepare to be transformed. Who doesn’t love the transformation scene? Whether it’s the apprentice becoming the mage (or warrior) in an epic fantasy or the misfit becoming the sexy chick in a feel-good flick, the transformation is core to our journey. We can’t change our lives until we change things in our lives. To become a successful author, you need to think and act like one. Change your thoughts and habits. It’s comfortable to watch sitcoms or chat on the phone, but a professional author writes the next chapter of her book first.

8. Accept the black moments. No one drowns because they fall in water, but because they fail to get out. When you hit rock bottom physically and emotionally, there’s nowhere else to go but wallow or push upwards. Like our plots, everything becomes harder and darker in the real world as we inch closer to success. By accepting and fighting through our black moments, and refusing to give up, we reach our goals. Knowing about other authors’ journeys always inspires me when the chips are down.

9. There’s no treasure until you slay the demons. Don’t let fear immobilise your actions. You have to slay the demons so you may as well get out there and do it now, then you can come back and enjoy the post-battle party. In the writing world, our demons vary from editors and critics; friends and bystanders (those who judge but know nothing about us or our industry); and, this is worth repeating, our own inner demon of fear. We will face tough times but we just have to get out there and get the work done. At least, at the end of the day, we have friends and rewards in place to help cheer our spirits until we reach our next goal.

10. Have a theme song. Or multiple theme songs. Every hero has one. I have a music playlist that peps me up when I’m feeling down. I have another playlist for my book – songs that draw me back into my storybook world (soft themes for romance, dramatic chords for battles). Every writer is special. We all deserve at least one theme song – and if that helps us achieve our writing dreams more swiftly, with a smile on our face, all the better!

The flame whispered to life within my hands. Leaping from matchstick to wick, it sealed my fate for 2016. Not that I have a witch’s powers (and not that I want them, except to zap the odd workmate into a walrus or fade the aches from my Grandma’s bones), but there is a kind of magic within us and it can be found through the art of ritual.

Chilean-born author Isabel Allende inspired me 15 years ago when she described to Sharon Krum in Qantas The Australian Way how she locked herself in her writer’s cottage on January 8 each year and summoned her muses with the aid of candles, incense and meditation.

Such a ritual fast-tracks two early objectives for a writer – setting a fixed date to launch their writing for the year and creating a moment in time where they can tap into their creative powers. This is no easy task in our fast-paced society of digital deadlines and “omnipressive” internet. It’s hard to find a time or a place to be still. Few of us have the luxury of a writer’s cottage, or a quiet place to write, but we can make a promise with ourselves – setting a time where we light our creativity and mentally shut out the noise of the world. Making that promise is possibly the greatest gift that we can give ourselves as writers.

There are no shortcuts in any game, especially publishing, but when we dedicate real time to our art, our work grows in depth and intensity until it becomes something we’re proud of and hopefully something we’re able to share with others. The only way you can fail is to never start.

I now understand Australian author Kim Wilkins’ words that getting published is exciting but nothing makes a writer happier than actually writing. If we are courageous enough to put aside that time, we will find happiness. Every day.