How Long Will It Take For Writer Success? Long... Lifelong.
Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
Author note:
I am taking the whole month of December a break. I will be stuck in cake flour and Christmas sprinkles up to my nose, so I won't be able to come here to chat with you. But don't worry; I'll be back on 1st Jan 2025. Now, back to our conversation.
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Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
- Buddha
I am in that gooey phase of the caterpillar-butterfly transformation.
As I reflected on the first ten years of my writing life this year, I realised that I am nowhere close to the writer I imagined to be. Neither am I a novice, having no clue how to go about my writing.
I am hanging somewhere in between.
When I started on this writing journey back in 2014, I assumed writing and publishing my book would be the finish line that would tell me I made it. Having achieved that goal last year, I still feel I haven't made it. It's as if every time I achieve a milestone and inch closer to the finish line, it moves further away from me. I was chasing something that was running away from me.
Which made me wonder - will there ever be a time when I feel I made it as a writer?
I believe the answer is no, but yes, as well.
Let's think of that butterfly again. The more you chase a butterfly, the faster it will flitter away from you. But if you sit quietly in a place where she makes her presence felt, eventually, she'll land on you. That's the difference between wanting-chasing and being-attracting.
In the same way, if I continue chasing what I achieve, the feeling of making it as a writer, the chase will never end. But if I feel I am already the writer I want to be, eventually, I'll attract it to me.
This then made me wonder about the finish line - is there even a finish line to this?
The answer is yes. There is only one finish line—the mortal one. Anything else is all about chasing the butterfly.
Considered in the context of our writing journey, there is only the writing. We write and share. We write again and share again. And we continue that as long as we can, want to, or are mortally allowed to.
Of course, on the way, you'll achieve writing goals and live your dream life, and we should be grateful for it and celebrate it. But we must remember that no amount of success will make us feel successful if we aren't already feeling worthy of it. You must continue to be a writer because that's what you signed up for, and do so knowing and believing that you have made it.
This introspection reminded me that I must think of my writing journey as a lifelong pursuit. It'll be as long as I live. So, I must not let short-term hiccups and failures make me think I don't have what it takes to be a successful writer.
Just like human life, my writer life will be ever-evolving, and that needs time, effort and love.
Why Is Being A Writer A Lifelong Pursuit?
Finding and actively evolving your writing process. Your writing process will start from haphazard to finding some semblance of structure and routine to life or a particular project, throwing it out the window, therefore making you start from scratch. But it won't actually be from scratch because you will now have the knowledge and wisdom I gained so far as your foundation to erect your new writing process in favour of your writing.
Finding and actively evolving your voice. At first, you might be hesitant to speak your heart out. It's hard being vulnerable and putting yourself out there to be judged. So, in the beginning, you will speak in the voice of your favourite author or book. And that's okay. In doing so, you are making space for your voice to come out. With consistent and persistent practice, you will find your unique writing voice - the voice that truly represents you - and it'll become easier to speak your truth.
Finding and actively evolving your human. In searching for your process and voice, you will inevitably stumble upon your human self. This will happen; there is no way around it. And you want it to happen because becoming aware of yourself - your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weakness, your quirks, your needs, your dreams, your pain, your healing - will transform your writer self into an even more powerful and compassionate being.
Finding and actively evolving your soul. Doing the above will connect you to your soul - who you are when you remove all the rules and beliefs, and labels human life imprints on you. Reaching this level makes you realise who you actually are and how you want to live your life, which impacts your writing journey as well.
Finding and actively evolving your writing journey. Sewing together your process, your voice, your humanness, and your soul enrich your writing journey. Now you will realise that it's not about the published books or the admiration or the accolades, though it's lovely to have them. It's about and it's always been about being - in our case, being a writer - a person who uses words to make this world a better place. You'll finally realise that the fun of being a writer is in the journey, not the finish line.
Therefore, finding and actively living your writer life. Now, you know why and how you want to live. Now, you know how to manage the ups and downs of life without taking it personally. Now, you will find people who would love to join your journey and read your words. Now, you will share your wisdom, helping other writers find themselves.
All this will take time, effort and love. It will span over the years. It will have phases of pain and heartbreak. It will also have phases of triumph and celebration, phases of peace and contentment. And it all will be totally worth it.
My book for writers, Soul Writer vs. Social Writer, is out now!
Love this post, Rubina!