Success as a Writer Part III: What You Have Control Over, and What You Can Do

I’ve been writing a lot lately about what defines success as a writer, as honestly and completely as I can, but I realized I might have left out a couple of really important things, chiefly, what can you, as a writer, do about it? In the end, it’s not really about fame or money or grants or fellowships or number of books sold, it’s about how you go about your daily life.
You can’t control critics, or mentors, or grant advising committees, or readers, sales numbers, or publishers…but you can control yourself and your own actions. So what are the activities that will make you, in your everyday life, a more successful (and probably happier) writer

1. Remember to keep writing. And try to write the best work you are capable of. Challenge yourself. And try some new things sometimes – whether it’s a new POV, a new subject, a new genre. The worst thing you can do is write a bunch of work, then end the “That’s it. I’ll just send out that work over and over, and waste a lot of energy worrying about it.” Or, after you, say publish a book, obsess about sales numbers and Amazon ranks and good/bad reviews. No, you start another book…or two. The best thing you can do for yourself and your career as a writer is “always be writing.” Even if you win the Pulitzer Prize, you won’t know if that’s the best work you were truly capable of. You have to keep writing.

2. Try to give something back, if it’s just listening to someone struggling with their first set of rejections, all the way to becoming a mentor to a younger writer. Teach something, because you’ll always be surprised at what you learn when you try to teach. Maybe help out with a local literary magazine, because you will gain crazy insights into the publishing world. Or work with high school kids or read to children at the library. Or start reviewing other people’s books, again, because you’ll gain a lot of insight about contemporary poetry – plus, you’ll realize you actually have strong opinions about different writers and styles that you might not ever have thought hard about if you weren’t reviewing a book for someone else.

3. Take a class in something you don’t know how to do yet. Try to paint, or program. If you’re not tremendously physical, try something outdoors that challenges you physically. It’s good to crash up against walls, to drive into mountains, to allow yourself to fail at new things. Go dancing. Listen to a new band your much younger/older friend recommends. If you’ve always killed your plants, try to garden. Cook. Research an obscure topic (I am currently researching CIA manipulation of the modern art scene in the 1950s. Why? Because I find it interesting!)  I think all writers should have their hands in some weird other world all the time. If you become the world’s best classic-arcade-Galaga player, well, at least you’ll have something new to write about!

4. Build your own family, or, writers need to create their own small towns. The writing life, as I have written about it here, is challenging. Sometimes depressing. You’ll face a lot of negative messages. You need others of your own kind to connect with – and that can include not just writers, but musicians, visual artists, anyone who is out to create their own thing in this harsh world. Your spouse, best friend, and family may want to support you, but there’s a special thing that happens when like-minded creative types get together. You can gossip, learn about opportunities, give someone a boost when things get tough, let someone bring you brownies when you had a bad day. Here in the Northwest, the landscape is challenging and far-flung – some of my best writer friends live across mountains, or water…but we don’t let that stop us from getting together, even if it’s just online. You will someday need the support of others, so it’s best to start offering your support to others now. The good thing about being an adult is choosing your own company, your own ragtag band of misfits to go conquer the world with.