For this week's "weekend reading" collection, let's talk about writing success. What does it take to be a successful writer? What does "writing success" even mean to you? And is success something we ever truly achieve, or will we always crave something more?
These questions are tackled in the posts below. Don't forget to leave a comment and share your thoughts about what writing success means to you, and how you're going about reaching it.
Enjoy!
What is Writing "Success?"
By Lynette Noni at LynetteNoni.com
Let's kick things off with the big question: What does "writing success" really mean anyway? Noni points out that success is something we have to define for ourselves, and she offers ten examples of what "writing success" might mean to you.
Designing Your Writing Career
By Holly Lisle at HollyLisle.com
Lisle talks about achieving success as an author by modeling your career after other living writers who have achieved the kind of career you would like. She emphasizes the importance of planning, and not assuming you'll fall into success. As a big planner and scheduler myself, I can appreciate this perspective, especially when she points out that while planning is important, flexibility is equally so.
The Futility of Chasing a "Successful" Writing Career
By Michelle Dean at FlavorWire.com
Dean reflects on her own brushes with success, at least as it's defined by others. She brings up the excellent point of success not being some static metric. Our definition, and those of people around us, can change over time. As we reach one measure of success, we often set our sights higher, still comparing ourselves to the more "successful" around us. Good food for thought.
What would it mean for you to have a successful writing career? Would it involve landing a certain dream client? Getting a major publishing deal? Reaching a certain number of readers for your blog? Or even just seeing your first book in print? Leave a comment and tell me about it, including how your definition of success might have changed over time.
