Define Success In Writing

Let’s say you just got that one million dollar book deal.  I suspect you would be excited, trilled, over the moon or just about any other thing you might want to say happens when you are offered some sort of breakout type deal for your book.  You have success!

That one type of success in writing.

What about other types?

I think you can experience the same feelings when you first publish your book. Or when you make a first sale on your book, on Amazon.com.  You can define success in many ways.  But I want to factor in writing in all of this.  One published book which is seeing success is great…

But what about your writing?

Finishing off a first draft of your next book:  Does that define success in writing for you?  I believe this is a type of success.  After all, that is what writing for a living is all about:  seeing success in the small things about your writing.

Success in writing is something I think most writers don’t think much about.  You base the success of your writing on the end product, something that is published. 

But writing is a cycle.

Write a page, then a first draft, then edit it, then write another draft, then edit that, then craft a final draft, then editing again, then submit it, then edit it, then publish it… And then write another first draft. 

The cycle never ends.

It is just like comments on your writing and success.  You might define success in one way, and I might define it in another.  What you have to do is believe what you have is successful.  Publishing a book is a success, but so is each of the steps involved in publishing that book.

Define your own success in your writing.