The Opposite of Winning

[patinagle]

I've seen this quote in a couple of places lately: "The opposite of winning isn't losing - it's quitting" (attributed to Martha Rosett Lutz in this column by Running Times Editor in Chief Jonathan Beverly).

Good words for a writer to remember. There are many, many temptations to quit. Many frustrations for a writer, including long communication delays, waiting in general, inccessant rejections, and factors over which one has little or no control but which can have a huge impact on one's work (such as cover art). Notice how none of these has anything to do with actually writing.

The only way a writer can lose is to quit. If one is writing, one has succeeded. To complete a novel is something many people idly dream of, but the number of people who actually do it is relatively small. The number of people who write a novel and sell it is much smaller. And the number of people who continue to write and sell novels after the first one . . . very small indeed.

I'm fortunate to belong to a group of the latter, Novelists, Inc. This is an organization of professional, multi-published novelists, and I've gained an enormous amount of information as a member. I've also made some wonderful friends. Worthwhile for any novelist to consider.

Another advantage of Novelists, Inc. (and other writer friends, including Kris who told me about the quote mentioned above) is that they've helped me through the dry spells. Just about every professional writer has periods during which they're not selling anything, and it can be murder on your confidence. That's when having a network of other writers is invaluable. They can remind you that you aren't a failure just because you haven't sold recently. Your work hasn't suddenly become unmarketable. Selling a novel is difficult to say the least, and takes enormous patience and a huge dose of faith, not to mention luck.

So my hat's off to every writer who sticks with it through the tough times. Those are the real winners.

6 pages written today.

Points in The Race:
23 for short stories
24 for novels
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47 total