Does luck play an important role in being a successful writer?
Do you believe in luck?
Some people hate this four-letter word.
They’re usually successful. Some are celebrities, or at the very least, well respected in their field.
“I’m not lucky!” they will tell you (with disdain if you say they’re lucky). “I worked hard to get where I am today.”
Or they will tell you, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”
Yes, hard work is necessary when you’re trying to reach your goals.
But luck, both good and bad, repeatedly plays a major role in our lives.
What is Luck?
Luck is simply an event, or series of events, which affects our lives. These events are often beyond our control.
If you’re reading this, you’re lucky.
You’re alive.
You can read.
You have access to the internet and to the computer or the smartphone you’re using to read this blog post. You probably own that computer or smartphone.
You also have eyesight.
The amount of control you have over these things that I just mentioned, varies.
You chose to buy a laptop and/or a smartphone. But you have limited control over how well your eyesight works.
Luck also plays a major role in how we write and how successful we are as writers.
The desire and the ability to write is a wonderful gift.
There are many people and things that can improve our luck while we write.
This includes having at least a few supportive friends and/or family members and having a stable income (whether that comes from your writing, another job, a spouse’s job or a combination of these factors).
Your luck can change for better or for worse, and then change again, and again.
There are also people and things that can slow us down and even cause us to stop writing.
This includes a wide range of factors such as writer’s block, unsupportive friends/relatives, physical/emotional health issues, grief, financial struggles, and abusive relationships.
Why Do Some People Hate “Luck”?
I understand why some of us resent the word “luck.”
Nobody likes feeling out of control.
That’s why we love believing that if we just work hard enough, then we can also inherit treasures. These treasures often include fame and fortune, or at least some sense of financial stability and a respectable career.
We shouldn’t resent the word “luck.”
It’s healthier to acknowledge that certain events happen in our lives that are beyond our control.
Some events are good, giving us advantages.
And then there are bad events, giving us at disadvantages.
Many of us love a story about someone “beating the odds.” We love stories of people who become successful while dealing with traumatic childhoods, poverty, discrimination, sickness and other unlucky events.
Beating these types of odds is often a lifelong fight.
So, maybe we shouldn’t verbally beat up the people who are fighting these odds and don’t meet our standards, or their own standards, for success.
How to Use Luck in Your Writing
We need to put luck in its proper place.
Accept that luck, both good and bad, exists.
Do your best.
Do everything you can to make the most of your good luck. And do everything you can to accept and learn from bad luck.
Work hard.
Put more words on more pages.
Pitch that story you’re working on to your favorite magazine or blog.
Write that blog post. Reach out to editors and new writing clients.
Finish writing that book.
And know that you will probably need to continually redefine what success means to you as you work on different writing projects.
You can’t control all of life’s events.
But you can control how you treat your luck, good or bad.
Make the decision to write something today, and to share that writing with others.
We can use our words to help and heal others who may be hurting from unlucky events.
Keep writing and good luck!
Do you feel about lucky or unlucky about writing? Please share with us in the comments below your thoughts and questions about luck, or any other comments you have about writing.