The Road to Success...

The road to success... Is it inevitably lined with failures?

On CBS Sunday Morning I recently saw a story on Tanya Tucker. She made a comment that struck me. Here it is:

"I feel like … those mistakes are part of my success. To be able to go through those things and come out on the other side, I think, is success. I don't think you could be successful unless you've had a lot of failures, and I've had some."

Her comment made me reflect on my own failures, along with reflecting on what lessons those failures have taught me.

image courtesy of Pixabay

Lesson # 1: Making things public makes a difference.
I had been floundering with a picture book. It was a project I was incredibly committed to, due to its subject matter (a stray dog). I sat on it and sat on it, but wasn't submitting it anywhere... until a writing friend, Donna Volkenannt, nudged me. I made it public, and declared a date when I would submit it.

Because it was out there for all the world my 3.5 readers to see, I made the deadline. The manuscript was sent... It was verbally gushed over and "accepted" by the publisher, only to be later rejected by a lesser editor. It's remained dusty ever since.

Lesson # 2: Having a thick skin is needed if you want to be a writer.
A few years ago I wrote a middle-grades manuscript that sang. It was shiny and perfect... or so I thought.

Then I sent it to be professionally edited by Margo Dill. I knew she would sing my praises, because my novel-wannabe was ready for immediate publication. It really was.

Margo did give me specific praise. However, she also gave me specific suggestions. Her detailed and thorough critique made me completely rewrite (mostly from scratch) my story... and now, it's being considered by three different presses.

(If I had sent out my original hot mess, there would be no nibbles. Publishers and editors would take a cursory glance, curse, and reject it hurl.)

Lesson # 3: Being held "accountable" makes an impact.
This is similar to lesson # 1. I had written a manuscript (the one from lesson # 2) and wasn't doing anything with it. I'd written a draft, had gotten to "the end," and took it out occassionally to dust it off and make it shiny again. Submit it anywhere? Fuhgeddabotit.

Then a group of writers and I started a writing accountability group--thanks to J Glenn. She suggested it, and two years later, it's still going strong. The other writers (not always me) post their short-term goals every week, along with reporting on their successes, their rejections and their struggles. Because it's an amazing group of writers, their encouragement, feedback and suggestions are priceless. We do it via Dropbox, so it's free and user-friendly.

Because of the Butt-Kickers (what we call ourselves), I've rewritten, revised and submitted my manuscript... and have gotten a few preliminary nibbles.

So. What failures have you experienced that taught you a lesson? Do you think we must face some failures in our pathway to success--if it ever comes when it comes? Stumbling minds want to know...

Last summer, Sioux Roslawski took a trip around Iceland. One day, she spent part of the morning at some mudpots--bubbling "creeks" of stinky, hot mud (thankfully this image is not a scratch and sniff one). She thinks of those mudpots when her writing smells... and when her WIP is a hot mess. You can check out Sioux's writing by checking out her blog.