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Rave. Or Rant. You pick.
(Not) An Overnight Sensation

I have an author friend who was an overnight sensation. She entered a contest before her book was even complete, won the competition, and had a full manuscript requested by an editor. The publisher even waited for her to finish it! She was offered a three book contract.

If she weren’t so nice, I’d have to hate her.

But lately, I’ve started to wonder if perhaps it’s a good thing to not be an overnight sensation. This is probably fortunate since it’s clear by now  I’m not going to be one. Not being an immediate success is giving me time to learn more about the writing and publishing process, to develop my skills, to question whether this is even something I want to be doing.

The answer is usually a resounding — but sometimes scarcely audible — yes.

At this point, I’ve had some little successes. I’ve finaled in a few contests and received some good feedback from people who should know what they’re talking about.

On the other hand, I’ve also gotten a pretty blunt rejection from an agent, been ignored, and gotten a few form rejections.

That’s okay. It’s all part of the process. I don’t mind not being an overnight sensation, or even a sensation, as long as someday I am successful as a writer. What that means I’m still figuring out, but at this point I think it means having people I respect like my work. And, oh yeah, actually finally making some money at it.

That would be a good start, I think.

How about you? How do you define success as a writer? And would you rather be an overnight sensation?