H/T to Steven D. Brewer in his blog, what does success mean to me.
Now this entry isn’t going to sound as scholarly as his, but humor me.
Was I rich this year? Nope. But I’m not complaining at what I have made. Any cup o’ tea helps.
Was I famous this year? I touched more people with Carnival Farm than I had with Grimaulkin. General fiction is a winner. Who’da thunk?
I did like something noted in Steven’s blog:
Jane McGonigal, in her book Reality is Broken, identified four qualities that make for a happy life: (1) Satisfying work to do, (2) The experience of being good at something, (3) Time spent with people we like, and (4) The chance to be a part of something bigger.
- Check.
- Check
- Cheaaaaaakkkk? (Two toxic people in my life I’m working on distancing myself from)
- Don’t care. At least, I don’t think so.
DBT talks about “Mastery”, and I will admit, I think that I have achieved the mastery of writing. (Wait! No more writing books? Oh, hella no–I’m addicted to collecting those like I’m addicted to collecting tarot cards.) So what do I do when I feel like I’m worthless–i.e., those two toxic people tell me I am worthless?
I write. Or I read something that I know I can write better. Or I outline. I plan the next scene. And I try to work hard on it to get it published.
Writing equals success. Publishing equals success. Money and fame are icing.
