The Lottery

I'm seeing a lot of shit from writers lately. On blogs. In article comments. On Facebook. A majority of these folks are angry that their books aren't an instant success.

Or to be more accurate, their book.

That's right. Singular.

I hate to say this, but you can write the greatest piece of literature in the history of the human race. It doesn't mean you'll find an audience the first time around.

Or the second.

Or the third.

Or even the sixtieth.

There are no guaranties in life, much less in the publishing world.

But each time you publish a new story, it increases your odds that someone will notice. Of course, that assumes you released a quality product. As in you have studied and learned the basics of storytelling if it's fiction or clear communication if it's non-fiction. As in you edited your story, or had someone else do it. As in you designed an excellent cover that signifies the interior, or had someone else design it.

But again, you can have the best editing/proofreading in the world and the best cover in the world, and it still doesn't guarantee success.

Putting out a new story is sort of like buying a lottery ticket. Yes, you're playing the odds. But you're playing with the belief in yourself and your talent.

It doesn't matter what your teacher says. It doesn't matter what your mom says. It doesn't matter what other writers say. And I mean both the good things and the bad things.

You need an inherent belief in yourself. Without that, the lottery will fail you no matter how great your talent is.