Failure: Noun
1. Lack of success.
2. The omission of expected or required action.
I wanted to talk about the word failure for a bit. It’s a word I despise in our English vocabulary. This isn’t a rant, as I hope this helps other aspiring authors in our field to look at things a little differently. Or maybe even help brighten a veteran writers day. Maybe this might even touch a reader as this can reflect with all aspects of life.
Most of us authors have a circle of writer friends and chat about our writing life. We can go as far as comforting one another in a time of need, or just being a sounding board. We could even help with writer’s block, a story that may be stuck in the middle of nowhere and you need to rescue it. Heck, this could even go beyond any of the above mentions. Picture this relationship like the one you have with your best friend, co-workers, etc.
Can you see it? Great, let’s continue.
The word failure seems to always pop up. It might not even be related to the conversation, but it does snake it’s way into either conversation or linger in the back of minds.
Well, I’m here to ban this word from my mouth and mind.
Why do I want to ban it, you might ask?
Here’s why…
1. Did you write a book? Yes, you did.
2. Did you publish that manuscript you spent weeks, months, and maybe years on? Yes, you did.
3. Did you do the very best for marketing? You did, didn’t you.
4. Did you reach out to authors, bloggers, friends, family, and heck maybe the UPS man to tell them all you just published a book or ask for reviews? I know you did, so don’t answer me with a no here.
Now, tell me where you failed? I don’t see it… I see someone who was brave and faced fears like a bull running through the streets.
So what, you sold ten books today. That’s ten people that you were able to reach. You were able to share the amazing words from our literary minds with. Even if you sell a hundred books a day, you will always question yourself if you could’ve done more.
Do you have to sign a traditional publishing contract to feel that you’re not a failure? Do you have to rank as a USA Today, NY Times Bestseller to believe that you haven’t failed? No, you don’t… It takes time… It could happen on your first title. Some might never see it. But why do you have to have a title to feel that you did something amazing? Isn’t it enough to feel good about yourself from the mere fact that you DID IT?
Here is why you should feel amazing about what you just did or do…
You took a GIANT step…
You hit publish…
You wrote something that you believed in…
You gave it to the world to criticize, read, fall in love with, and share something with a person that most people only dream about doing.
Turn the world failure into the word accomplished.
As you read this, you might ask yourself … “What the hell is she talking about? How can she tell me I’m not a failure?”
Here’s my answer….
I think this way at times myself… Yes, I know, grab the glitter and run. This job is one of the hardest things I have EVER done in my life. I put myself out in the big world for everyone to judge while reading my work. Some might not like it… Some might just love it…
That’s the best part of it all. We are given a massive amount of literary work to enjoy nowadays. That doesn’t mean we will love it all. I don’t love everything I read. Hell, most days I end up hating what I write. But guess what, I can delete it and start over. The moral of this post is this… When you feel like you failed, or it scares the shit out of you – remember you hit publish.
You succeeded in finishing the project. You published a book. You put yourself out to the world. In my book, that makes you a winner. It makes you someone who is brave. Someone that isn’t afraid to conquer your hopes and dreams.
Now, pick up a pen, open that laptop and get to writing.
Stay Sassy,
XXXOOO
A.M. Willard
