A Measure of Success
We're all climbing the invisible staircase to success. I've reached a goal, and that's worth celebrating. But where will the stairs take me from here?
We writers are dreamers, planners and schemers. We plot and imagine, we characterize and design. And those imaginations aren’t limited to our characters, either. Most of us trickle into this crazy writer’s life because we have a vision of some type of success.
When I first began climbing the imaginary staircase, I took steps toward an unclear goal of publishing by taking advantage of nearby conferences and online classes. I had no idea what becoming a published author would mean for me. But I saw in my mind, the finished project, a dark romantic trilogy, as clear as day. I saw my books on the bookshelves of bookstores. I saw my name on the Author Events poster.
I just needed to figure out how to make it real.
I remember one class at the UW Madison Writer’s Institute. I don’t recall who the instructor was, but he talked about publishing goals. He said it was important to be clear. Do you want to be published with a Big 5 publisher? (Back then it was Big 6.) Or, can you be happy with something smaller. What made an impression on me was this. His personal publishing goal was very small. He independently published his book for students, for family, and friends. He didn’t expect the book to become a best seller, or to be picked up by universities. He didn’t expect to be listed in any top seller lists. And he was extremely happy with that.
Bigger is not always better.
I had bigger goals, but please . . . don’t confuse that with better goals. What’s best for me might not be what’s best for you. So let’s just say I wanted more, and at the time, I still had no idea what that looked like.
I worked hard to achieve this foggy vision of success. The instructor’s message was clear, but my vague idea left things open for me in many ways. Still, I wrote every day. I asked for help. I hired developmental editors and listened—really listened—to my critique partners.
Fast forward several years. When my publisher reached out and said they wanted the book, I couldn’t believe it at first. It took me a few minutes to comprehend what they were saying. And when it finally sank in, they wanted to publish my book, I cried.
When Best Kept Secrets hit the shelves, I was thrilled! I had landed a publisher without an agent, and my book was in bookstores and in Barnes and Nobel. I had reached one of my goals.
Best Kept Secrets by Tracey S. Phillip
Five years have passed since then. And now I have 4 published books. Have I finished climbing those stairs? No way Jose. Because with each step, the goals changed a little. They morphed and expanded.
Between 2019 and today, the world has changed a tiny bit. So when my publisher didn’t want my next book, I had to edit my goals. For the past few years, I’ve been self publishing under a pseudonym. This summer I finally reached a goal that once seemed impossible, I published that whole trilogy. It’s finished. It’s complete. It’s out there for the world to see, for better or worse.
What’s next?
What is up the next flight of stairs? Where do I want to land when I get there?
I recently read an article by Courtney Maum called, Leaving Room for the Unexpected. She talks about her extraordinary experiences while getting ready to publish her book, Costalegre. It’s a fabulous story. What I got out of the article is this:
Continue to have hope. Continue to dream. Continue to set goals and keep working toward them.
I still have that dream, that fuzzy amorphous idea of success still floating in my mind. Like the instructor at the Writers’ Institute said, I need to hone in on it. Refine and define it. Work toward it. And then let the magic happen.
Sometimes I feel like my stairways are like those in Harry Potter -- constantly changing/shifting - who knows where I'll end up. ha ha I love that there are options though for the way forward to our own brand of success. I always have to remind myself to ask new clients, "What are YOUR goals for this book? for your writing. What does success look like for you?"
You're succeeding as long as you keep moving forward.