The definition of success:
Success (the opposite of failure or defeat) is the status of having achieved and accomplished an aim or objective. Being successful means achieving desired visions and planned goals. The dictionary describes success as the following: “attaining wealth, prosperity and/or fame”.
Last week, I had at least a dozen weird “writerly” things happen to me. Here are two situations that are relevant to this question: When is a writer considered successful?
1.) Recently, a Canadian Literary magazine published a piece of my Flash Fiction in their December issue. A friend of mine sent me a private message, and she said, “Ohmygod! This is so fabulous. You’re famous! You can finally quit your job and write stories for a living. I’m so happy for you.”
Me: *laughing hysterically*
Yes, she was dead serious. She thought this was a possibility. Go ahead and laugh with me. Most writers know that literary magazines don’t pay you. If you are lucky, you might receive a yearly subscription to their magazine. That’s it. However, you do get a publishing credit to use on your writing resume or to add to the bottom of the query letter when searching for an agent, which are both great things; you just don’t get paid, so don’t quit your day job.
2.) A friend of mine contacted me to see if I would sit on an author panel for Words Up at the Barrie Library to discuss short stories in front of a crowd (and live on ZOOM, as well). She said, “Now that you have had so much success with your short stories, we would love for you to come and share your thoughts with other writers on what drives you and what gives your stories the power to be memorable.”
Me: *no laughter, just the sound of my eyebrows rising and my heart exploding*
Me: Success?
This friend—bless her heart—was also being serious. My thought went immediately to the word “success” within her question, and I quickly became an impostor, wondering why she wouldn’t just ask someone else… a successful someone else. Not me. In my mind, I haven’t had any real success yet. I have been paid peanuts so far, and most of the time, it is nothing. ZERO DOLLARS. Not to mention, I’m still working on a novel that EVERYONE (even my mother) keeps asking me, ‘When is it going to be finished? When will it be published? When can I read it?’ This is the opposite of success. I might even whisper the word “failure” in conjunction with that statement.
The definition of failure:
Failure is defined as a lack of success or the inability to meet an expectation. The problem is that we can read too much into failure. Too often, we tie it to our sense of self-worth, self-esteem, and self-acceptance.
This impostor issue brought me to the question again.
When Is a Writer Considered Successful?
If I asked this question to 100 writers, I would probably get at least 30 different answers. However, I believe the following would be the top three answers:
- Money ~ Earning millions/billions of cash, so you can quit your day job and write like the wind alongside the heated pool on a daily basis, with a constant parade of piña coladas at your fingertips.
- Fame ~ Your circle of friends becomes the rich & famous authors, like J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, or James Patterson, who invite you over for a BBQ at their house and maybe a weekend writing retreat where they tell you all their writing secrets.
- Being Published with the Big 5: Landing an agent, selling your book to one of the Big 5 publishers with worldwide publishing rights, and your novel hits the New York Times Best Seller List at least 52 weeks in a row. Or, you become the #1 bestselling author in 50 different countries.
These answers are big author dreams. I’m not saying that these things can’t happen, or that they won’t happen; I’m just saying they are outside of the average writer’s reach. Although, if you can dream them, you can absolutely accomplish them with some hard work, dedication and perseverance.
Could you be considered successful if you self-published your novels?
Absolutely. It is all in what your goals are and how you proceed to conquer them. I know many self-published authors who were able to quit their day job and they make oodles of cash (probably not J.K. Rowlings kind of cash, but not many do). Do they go over to Nora Roberts house for summer parties? Probably not. But, that’s a networking issue, not a successful writer issue.
I believe the definition of success is more than what the dictionary provides. Your answer to the success question will change as you crush each goal you give yourself. Did you write 500 words today? Yes. That is success. Did you sign with a Literary Agent today? Yes. That is also a success. It is maybe a slightly bigger success than writing 500 words. However, if you didn’t write the 500 words, you couldn’t finish your novel and therefore wouldn’t be signing with an agent. All of this depends on the progression of your writing career. Each step could be a successful one, if you think about it in that way.
Stephen King is famous for this quote:
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”
~ Stephen King ~
Of course, Stephen King has all the money, friends, and book deals he could ever want, so, of course, he is a happy guy. But, I think he has a point about enriching the lives of those who will read your work. If you can evoke some kind of emotion in your reader, enough for a stranger to reach out to you, maybe, just maybe, that might be considered a touch of success.
Here is another weird “writerly” thing that happened to me this week, which prompted me to write this blog:
A stranger sent me a direct message about my recently published flash fiction story. She said, “I know you don’t know me, so I hope it is okay to send you a quick message to say that I read your story, Enduring Traditions in the Blank Spaces magazine. I am a recent widow and this will be my first Christmas without my husband. I cried when I read the story. There were many tears. I smiled at the end though. It reminded me that the kids would also have trouble with missing him too, not just me. I mean, I knew they would, but it just reminded me how much it would impact them too, is all. Thank you for that. Your story was just lovely.”
So, although I don’t have the fame, the fortune, or a book deal with one of the Big 5 publishers… I was able to reach a stranger with my written words and evoke enough emotion in them that they reached out and thanked me for writing the story.
I love that. The more I think about the question, ‘When is a writer considered successful?’ the more I would define it as having written something I’m proud of, and having someone be moved one way or another by my words.
*smiling*
What do you think? How would you answer this question?
