Lately, I've seen a lot of people competing against one another for no reason. As writers, we try to be the best we could when perfecting our skills through reading, writing, critiquing, etc.
"How do you know when you're a successful writer? You can know immediately by answering yes or no to these four questions:
1) Are you earning a solid six-figure income from your writing alone?
2) Are you able to write exclusively from home... wherever in the world that may be?
3) Are you finding checks in your mailbox for writing from years ago?
4) Do people mistake you for being "retired," given how you never go to a 'job'... have lots of spare time ... and you're able to live so freely?
If your answer was "Yes" to all four questions, congratulations! You're either a bestselling novelist ... OR you're one of the small handful of writers who have discovered the secret to living the writer's life AND making a great living at the same time."
-Excerpt from American Writers & Artists, Inc. (AWAI) newsletter.
If most of your answers are "No" then don't feel bad. Like Mario, we thrive on getting our 1ups to reach success. We all love the idea of success. We live on it, feeding ourselves on contests and queries to publishers until rejection slows us down, and we eventually give up.
A recent theme going around is don't worry about other people's success. Keep doing what you need to do in order to reach your goals.
Your best friend is a bestselling author, and you don't even have a publisher yet. OK? Stop focusing on what you don't have instead of what you could have. Your friend worked hard to get where she is. Maybe she started before you. Not everything is handed to people in successful positions. Life is not a game where we win or lose. Your reward will come when you realize how much your determination has truly paid off.
It's amazing how much jealousy and ego can complicate your self image or worth. Sometimes those negative feelings can hinder your life from progressing further.
In these days and times, you could become an author without previous credentials. You don't need a degree, you don't need to be certified, and you don't need at least five years of experience. The best part of being a writer is anyone could pick up a pen and do it! Would they be great at it? Not without much practice, but life is a journey. We must travel to reach our destination. We must practice to improve our skills along the way.
We try to be better than everyone else when we should work together. Through networking, advertisements on blogs, etc., we could help each other succeed. The writing industry doesn't single anyone out nor does it discriminate.
If you shine you will know only in your heart and it will feel damn good. That is what being successful is all about.
Happy writing!
-Diva J.
