You're lucky that writing has worked out so easily for you.
Most people have to work much harder than you to even get the slightest whiff of interest.
An editor replied within hours of a query? An editor you didn't know? Unheard of!
Who do you know?
Some days I think I am lucky. Some days I think it's mere fate that my writing, fiction and non-fiction, has been published with some regularity. Some days I wonder when my luck will run out and this 'writing thing' will grow stale and I'll stop receiving interest in my words.
But then I remember:
I have been blessed- I cannot deny that. God has allowed me to carve out a successful writing/editing career; a career that sometimes surprises me. But that doesn't mean I don't deserve it and that doesn't mean I haven't worked hard for this. I fully admit that I am often the most flippant about my abilities.
Oh, I just wrote it and sent it in and voila! published.
But the truth is that I have been writing for years. I have been cultivating and learning and failing (a lot). I have been scared and received negative feedback and given up. I have stopped writing for years at a time. I haven't had all 'good luck'.
I think that, when someone else is succeeding (even for a short period of time), it is natural to 'blame' this success on luck, when we should really be 'blaming' this success on preparation, readiness, and talent. Yes, there is a little bit of 'right time right place' involved...but there is a whole lot more of hard work to be found behind any single success.
Luck. It's a good thing. It has sometimes made all the difference in having my words accepted versus rejected. But LUCK doesn't happen by chance and it rarely comes to the unprepared. That's what I'm hanging my hat on today.
I agree that sometimes timing is "lucky" (I've had the experience myself of sending a pitch to an editor who was just wondering moments earlier how to find someone to write about that topic) but I think it's easy for people to overlook all of the hard work that comes before and after these moments.
ReplyDeleteWhen we built our house, my parents were driving my grandma to see it, and my mom commented "Aren't they so lucky?" My Grandma quickly replied "It's not luck! They've worked very hard for everything they have!" (Thanks, Grandma.)
I too am jealous of people who seem to have the connections or some non-talent-related explanation for their success, but I'd rather think that I deserve what I get (which isn't always a good thing!)
Great post.
Thanks so much! Luck always plays a role- that is for certain. But so does hard work and perseverance. It's a balance really.
DeleteI am often bit by the jealousy bug when I see someone tweet a link to their article in a mag that I have pitched (sometimes more than once). But I'm trying really hard to use that as motivation to just pitch more and pitch smarter...(usually)
Good for you! You deserve whatever luck comes your way for all the hard work you've put into your writing! Keep it up! :)
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