What is Success in Writing? #IWSG #amwriting
[I wrote this post as a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our worries and also offer support and encouragement to each other on the first Wednesday of every month. If you’re a writer like me and you’re looking for a bit of support, you can click the link and sign up here]
This month’s awesome hosts are: Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia,Angela Wooldridge, Victoria Marie Lees, and Madeline Mora-Summonte!
And thank you to founder Alex J. Cavaugh 🙂
***
Success has multiple definitions.
Google helped me with three different ones: The accomplished aim or purpose, the attainment of popularity or profit, and finally, a person who achieves a desired goal either financially or personally.
I have a friend who is an incredibly successful romance writer. Her journey fascinates me, how she started off as a self published author quickly picked up by publishing division at Amazon because of her audience interest, and now bam, she’s out there traveling the world, marketing her books and making her dream list come true.
I think she’s amazing and talented. She’s living the dream. She’s developed a really great techy niche for herself in Romance.
Romance just isn’t my forte.
This month’s IWSG post asks; “What do you love about the genre you write in most often?”
I think author Isaac Asimov sums it up perfectly why I choose Young Adult, maybe middle grade one day:
I choose YA because of what it means to me and those young people I’ve worked with. I like thinking gentle guidance and strong themes and characters may impact their worlds.
So what is success? In my eyes, it is all the little achievements that amount to something great. It’s following through every day with a dream you hold dear to the heart. I like the definition of meeting personal goals. Maybe that’s success.
Currently, I haven’t met my own personal goals yet in writing, but I don’t plan to give up anytime soon. I’m on the home stretch of my work in progress at 61,500 K with three scenes left to go. I’m biting my nails. I’m scared the ending won’t amount to the build I’ve created. I know this is a first draft. Sigh. I know first drafts are never perfect.
Happy Wednesday, all. How did you decide on your genre? Have you ever tried a different genre just to try it? What happened?
🙂
Posted on February 7, 2018, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 28 Comments.
Cloud Nine Girl 
“It’s following through every day with a dream you hold dear to the heart. I like the definition of meeting personal goals. Maybe that’s success.” Love it! Sometimes story just happens and genre isn’t even in the planning — some stories need to be told, whether it’s then classified as fantasy/chick-lit/horror or whatever. Write what makes you happy 🙂
Yes, we must must our hearts Ronel. Otherwise I don’t believe our characters feel real 🙂
I’m trying to write the ending on my WIP too! Work backwards. Plot the chapters in your novel in reverse. K.M. Weiland says the first chapter should be a reflection of the last. What happens in the beginning that needs to come full circle? (taking that advice to heart!)
Oh thank you Jennifer! I hadn’t thought of the first chapter reflecting back in the last chapter!
Success needs to be personal to matter, which is why it has to tie in with our dreams, not someone else’s dreams.
I agree. We must define our our successes and plan our goals accordingly 🙂
YA is pretty epic. Personally, when the ending doesn’t work out like I hoped, I rewrite it until it does. So hey, no worries. Draft, let it come out, and then make it better. Cheese to you!
Thank you Crystal 🙂
I could make a writing plan that was more successful, but if I wasn’t writing in my genre, I wouldn’t enjoy it.
Hello Erika,
your friend is one lucky girl.Success is very tricky area.We can’t be successful in full sense, in all areas, but I believe that if we have a dream, and if we are brave enough to go to him we are successful.Billions of people are just observers of their life 🙂 Successful people are aware of their roles in their lives
That’s a really great way to view success Ben. I like the awareness part. It makes so much sense to me. Thank you for your really great insights 🙂
I write what I fell in love with reading. That’s awesome about your friend, and that you are achieving success in your own way. 🙂
I think I’d call it a success if I finish this book I’m currently writing.
I agree with you Loni. Success is finishing something we love 🙂
Sounds to me like you’re a complete success. Good luck with the last chapters. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
Here’s wishing you all the best of luck in getting that ending the way you want it. I understand the nail biting issue.
You’re on the homestretch, don’t give up, you can do it! 👍
I got into Fantasy because I love the idea of world-building and relating real life problems and real characters in a world I have created.
I tried other genres, I had to for university and I did not receive the same marks nor I didn’t enjoy it as much. I still right fiction for my short stories, which I love but I don’t think I could produce a quality fiction-novel.
You can check out some of my stories on my weekly Short Story Challenge 🙏
https://wp.me/p7E0Mo-uT
At one point I would have said that success would be earning enough from writing fiction to be able to live off it without too much stress. As I’m getting older I’m finding that the process of crafting a work of fiction is a goal in itself, making something that I can take pride in, even if it brings me no success, is something to aim for.
I like how you view the craft of writing as successful. I always tell people writing is much like science with problems and theories and testing. Thank you so much for stopping in today 🙂
Best of luck finishing your draft!
Thank you so much Yvonne 🙂
Ah! You’re so close! Congrats! I actually started this journey in YA for the same reason as you. In the end, I moved away from it, but probably not forever! I think it’s because I enjoy reading adult more than I do YA, and so I really didn’t feel like I was doing the kind of reading I needed in order to be successful in that genre. The life of a mystery/thriller writer for me. 🙂
Yes! It’s all the books that I read as a child and a teenager that led me to where I am now. Good luck on your writing journey!
I do write in different genres and it’s always an adventure. Transitioning from historical to contemporary has proved difficult though.
I can only imagine Tamara 🙂
I’m a reader first… writing came later. My preferred genre is mystery/suspense/thriller… both reading and writing. But I also enjoy reading historical fiction that revolves around WW2 and the holocaust.
I started off writing flash fiction but now I’m working on a longer piece, maybe a novella/novelette, based on suspense.
Writer In Transit
I am sure your new project will be excellent Michelle 🙂
I write mostly romance because that’s what I grew up reading (Harlequin). I’d love to write a YA but I think it’s outside my scope. Follow your heart. Know your strengths.
I like your advice Cheryl. Follow your heart is a must 🙂