Between my husband and I we know a lot of writers. Some are just crafting their first stories, others have many novels under their belt.

We were talking on the drive down here that some of the less experienced writers who we know are still looking for the secret handshake–that one bit of advice that’s suddenly going to make them sell millions of books. Whether that be a craft thing or a marketing thing. Just something. There must be a secret handshake. Right?

Me – I don’t believe in a single cause for something as complicated as success.

However, one of the first steps that these writers don’t take is actually defining what success looks like for them.

I certainly didn’t have that definition of success for myself when I started. I grew up in the old tradition and believed the myths. Originally, success for me was selling that book to New York. Once I did that, success became making a living from my fiction.

The problem with these definitions is that they are out of your control. You’ve taken your definition for success and made it dependent on sales, readers, editors, etc.

A writer writes. Period. Or as my husband says, sit down, shut up, and write.

Am I getting to the page every day that I can? Am I telling the stories that only I can tell, with my voice? If I am, then I am a success, because those are things that are in my control.

Sure, I have dreams of selling millions of copies of my books. That would be an achievement.

But my success remains small. Local. Completely dependent on me. (Though honestly, getting to the page somedays is not a small task.)

Sit down, shut up, write.

Again, back to that secret handshake.

Newer writers don’t want to hear that you need a work ethic. You don’t wait to be inspired. You learn how to inspire yourself, how to make it so that you CAN’T WAIT to get to that page every day. (Have you seen me talk about the book I’m currently writing? I actually start bouncing whenever I start thinking about it. I’m having that much fun.)

It’s a skill. But you also have to want it that badly. Badly enough to make the hard choices, badly enough to do the work.

Badly enough to sit down, shut up, and write, every day that you can.

There is no secret handshake I’m afraid. There is only the work. But if you do that work, and learn your craft, and learn about your field, and if you have a smidgin of luck, you might achieve those bigger dreams. Or at least that is what I believe.

Where are we today? Where did we drive to? We’ve rented a cabin on Lake Quinalt, in the rainforest, for the week. Pictures in the next post.