The "Success" Talk
Remember those conversations you knew were coming when you were a kid? The "How did you get that hole in your pants?" talk. The "Where are your shoes?" talk. The "birds-and-the-bees" talk. They evolve as you get older, and the questions get asked by more people. "What's your major?" "When are you getting married?" And so on. As a published author, you often get conversations like these:
You see, the thing is, not all of our successes are seen or recognized by the guy in the bunny suit. And in this business, the goal posts keep moving. Starting a book. Finishing a book. Getting an agent. Selling the book. Selling three books.
The list goes on.
The real goal of the Success Talk for us is that we have to recognize these successes as they come along. A finished draft. A good revision. The perfect word. If you don't celebrate each step, you'll never reach those moving goalposts.
Go forth and succeed, my friends!
You see, the thing is, not all of our successes are seen or recognized by the guy in the bunny suit. And in this business, the goal posts keep moving. Starting a book. Finishing a book. Getting an agent. Selling the book. Selling three books.
The list goes on.
The real goal of the Success Talk for us is that we have to recognize these successes as they come along. A finished draft. A good revision. The perfect word. If you don't celebrate each step, you'll never reach those moving goalposts.
Go forth and succeed, my friends!
6 comments
Katherine-
I think I might have tinkled a little watching this! So funny. The awkward pauses just about killed me.
Thanks for making me laugh this morning- xo Kim
Love the last lines...if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that, I could buy a designer bag!
Love, love, love this! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching, my friends! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I've endured a few of those awkward pauses myself...
Oh, that video was painful to watch! Even though I want to know the answers to some of those questions, I hate that those are typical questions asked of authors, published or not.
Being a reader for so long, I value quality over quantity in all things (except for owning books, because I'm a huge book hoarder), because knowing I own a copy of someone's book, even if it's not on a best seller or if it doesn't sell a million copies, means I have a physical copy of someone's work and can enjoy it for the rest of my life. It also has a lot to do with the fact that anyone who has the courage and ability to take the next step in publishing is someone to look up to. I admire these people because they braved that next step even in the face of rejection, which is hard to face in any circumstance.
Thanks for sharing!
I'm a book hoarder, too, Sallie! Every couple of years I have to buy a new bookshelf to hold them all. And I agree--anyone who has the courage to put words on a page deserves our admiration.
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