“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
– Vince Lombardi
Okay, so I tend to use a lot of inspirational sports sayings, but then guys in testosterone overdrive who want to win big generally say a lot of cool things. I bet you have now surmised I have brothers. They were—and are— terrific human beings. They know a lot about competition, going the distance and bringing home a victory. They were fabulous when we were kids and now that they’re all grown up with families of their own, these men have no equal. But of course, I’m prejudiced. They belong to me, after all.
We learned early on from parents who were depression poor that a good education and the willingness to work hard were the only things you needed to succeed in life. Those things served my parents well, and also their children–my children also.
So when I sit down to write these days, I do not bemoan the fact that less editors are buying less manuscripts because the economy is poor and money is tight. I do not sigh and attempt to convince myself that the “book of my heart” will never sell.
What I do when I sit down to write, is to put my heart and soul into the subject I chose, at that moment in time. I believe it’s important for every writer to believe what you have to say is important, or you shouldn’t be saying it. Right?
When you chose to write, you should think and plan your word choices. You want to write a story which will engage your readers, not the reader, but your readers.
I say your readers because I know you want to capture their attention, not for this one story, but for all the stories you want to tell. To do that you must work at the craft, hone the skill, weave the web of enchantment in which your readers are carried away on the moment. All of that is decided by how well you’ve done your work.
When you’ve worked hard, followed the rules and know them well enough to break them, this is when the magic happens.This is success.