Waiting Your Turn
I've always hated for people to call me "lucky" when something good happened to me. Truth is, I've never considered myself a very lucky person at all.
I mean, I've never won anything.
I can't remember the last time I found something valuable lying on the street or at the bottom of an old purse.
And those are things that happen to lucky people.
The rest of us are stuck relying on hard work and good fortune. And let me tell you that's nothing like luck at all.
Luck is random. You can get lucky doing absolutely nothing at all. And you're just as capable of running into bad luck as good, based on odds.
Good fortune, on the other hand, comes when you're out there making opportunities. It's purposeful and strategic, even though you can't will it to hit when you want.
It's early, but 2008 is shaping up to be a good year for many writers I know. Good fortune is paying a visit to many and I'm hoping a few more months of late nights will have her knocking on my door as well.
But for now...
My pub house mate, L. Divine, had her series extended. Eight more books.
My other pub house mate, Stephanie Perry Moore, recently snagged a deal that I'm not sure she's made public yet. Let's just say it involves one of her books, Tyler Perry and the film industry. Shhh!
Last year, among my "class" mates in The Class of 2K7, we had award-winning authors and million-dollar deals.
None of those things came about by luck. Good timing, in some respects, but not luck. What Publishers Weekly doesn't announce among all the deal listings are the number of years a writer toiled, writing, revising, being rejected only to start the process all over before they hit the six-figure deal, movie deal or received an award for their writing.
Success is about staying the course.
I'm about to come off a very long month of promoting authors during The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later initiative. Interviewing authors and working with BBS members has kept my mind so busy, I haven't had much time, unitl now, to think about my course. Or where I am on it.
Am I closer to success today than I was a month ago or a year ago?
I don't know. Heck, I'm not sure some days what "success" means in an industry where a writer may not earn out their advance but can still be considered successful in sales.
I'm just waiting my turn for the next good thing. The milestones that will put me closer to writing full-time.
Selling more books.
Expanding my series.
Having the DRB Clique optioned for a movie or TV show.
It figures that I'd choose a profession where none of the above can be truly planned, much less guaranteed.
Still, I believe that if I put in the hard work all of those things will happen, at some point.
Until then, with 28 Days Later now successfully behind me (my last spotlight is today. Check out Sherri L. Smith), I may actually rest my Type A mind and focus simply on my own writing for awhile.
Wish me luck.
I mean, I've never won anything.
I can't remember the last time I found something valuable lying on the street or at the bottom of an old purse.
And those are things that happen to lucky people.
The rest of us are stuck relying on hard work and good fortune. And let me tell you that's nothing like luck at all.
Luck is random. You can get lucky doing absolutely nothing at all. And you're just as capable of running into bad luck as good, based on odds.
Good fortune, on the other hand, comes when you're out there making opportunities. It's purposeful and strategic, even though you can't will it to hit when you want.
It's early, but 2008 is shaping up to be a good year for many writers I know. Good fortune is paying a visit to many and I'm hoping a few more months of late nights will have her knocking on my door as well.
But for now...
My pub house mate, L. Divine, had her series extended. Eight more books.
My other pub house mate, Stephanie Perry Moore, recently snagged a deal that I'm not sure she's made public yet. Let's just say it involves one of her books, Tyler Perry and the film industry. Shhh!
Last year, among my "class" mates in The Class of 2K7, we had award-winning authors and million-dollar deals.
None of those things came about by luck. Good timing, in some respects, but not luck. What Publishers Weekly doesn't announce among all the deal listings are the number of years a writer toiled, writing, revising, being rejected only to start the process all over before they hit the six-figure deal, movie deal or received an award for their writing.
Success is about staying the course.
I'm about to come off a very long month of promoting authors during The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later initiative. Interviewing authors and working with BBS members has kept my mind so busy, I haven't had much time, unitl now, to think about my course. Or where I am on it.
Am I closer to success today than I was a month ago or a year ago?
I don't know. Heck, I'm not sure some days what "success" means in an industry where a writer may not earn out their advance but can still be considered successful in sales.
I'm just waiting my turn for the next good thing. The milestones that will put me closer to writing full-time.
Selling more books.
Expanding my series.
Having the DRB Clique optioned for a movie or TV show.
It figures that I'd choose a profession where none of the above can be truly planned, much less guaranteed.
Still, I believe that if I put in the hard work all of those things will happen, at some point.
Until then, with 28 Days Later now successfully behind me (my last spotlight is today. Check out Sherri L. Smith), I may actually rest my Type A mind and focus simply on my own writing for awhile.
Wish me luck.
posted by Paula at 11:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home