A plaque I had above my desk, back in the days of studying, said this. It was bought for me by my Mum.
I suppose in writing, as in life, goals change with experience. When you’re young you dream of a career, or a marriage, or an achievement. Then you get those things and new goals appear: a baby, a better job, perhaps your dream home. In writing, it has been that way for me also. At first it was to get to the end of a story. Then it was to hear back from a publisher or agent. The next goal I set was to see my story published, and now that goal has shifted to success. And what a nebulous goal that is! What classes as success? One person reading and loving your story? Someone paying to read your work? Hundreds, nay, thousands of copies sold? Probably all of the above at different times, depending on how philosophical I’m feeling that day. Perhaps it’s a stranger holding a copy of my book as I pass by in public. Perhaps it’s getting a staggering advance. Am I drifting into fairy tale here? The trouble with goals is in the not achieving. The feeling of failure if you set them too high. The ‘I’ll never get there; I’m nowhere near good enough’. And that maybe true, but at one time I doubted I could get to the end of a story and I did…
A plaque I had above my desk, back in the days of studying, said this. It was bought for me by my Mum.
11 Comments
Barbara Barth
26/10/2016 02:30:24 pm
Love the plaque. It is great advice for any endeavor. Thanks for a great post.
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Wendy Lou Jones
26/10/2016 06:43:29 pm
I know. I've never forgotten it.
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26/10/2016 02:31:50 pm
I love that Einstein quote! And yes, defining success is hard. Another measure I use is getting strong reviews from complete strangers. But I would be tickled pink to stumble across someone reading my book, too. As for not hitting goals which are set too high, I'm OK with the other philosophy: Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
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Wendy Lou Jones
26/10/2016 06:45:05 pm
Love that. I tell you, I've barely sold any paperbacks, but it didn't stop me from checking all the ones I passed on holiday this summer. Live in hope, die in frustration!
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26/10/2016 07:32:30 pm
Fantastic Einstein quote! It is so hard to define success as a writer- but then, so much of the joy is in the act of writing itself! I feel like every day I show up to the keyboard and write 100 or more words, it's a successful day!
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26/10/2016 11:31:53 pm
Brilliant!
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Wendy Lou Jones
26/10/2016 11:36:23 pm
That's where mine sat all through school exams and college, until I finished university.
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27/10/2016 12:10:18 am
Oh, this all sounds very familiar! I often wonder what "success" is; in my darker moments, I'm certain I've had absolutely none. But then I think of the writer's adage: You wrote a book. An entire book. (Or maybe more than one.) Millions of people have not. So just the fact that you followed your dream, and completed it, makes you a success.
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Wendy Lou Jones
27/10/2016 08:52:29 am
Very true. :-)
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Wendy Lou Jones
29/10/2016 10:16:41 am
Thank you, and it's a great quote which ever way. :-)
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AuthorWife, mother, lapsed doctor. Hopelessly in love with every hero I've ever written. Archives
June 2018
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