Mastery Chemistry Productivity and -- today --- Community

Try this.

Round up any group of authors and poets and other writers of various descriptions, experienced, inexperienced, whatever.

Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Everyone here? Good. Now, get your collection of authors, poets and what-nots all to agree about what success as a committed writer means.

Good luck.

Bet you a fancy cup of coffee you didn’t get agreement. And that is just as it should be. You might as well ask people what a successful life looks like. One would expect, and hope, there will be a range of legitimate responses.

So, as you read below, understand I’m not looking for the answer. There ain’t no such thing. For my own reasons, I am searching for my answer.

Four Factors of Success

It seems to me there are four meaningful and useful 20,000-foot indicators of accomplishment, of success, for the committed writer. They are fraternal, but they are distinguishable. Even though, admittedly, some snuggle up against each other.

I have named my quadruplets Mastery, Chemistry, Productivity and Community.

Community

Let's first dive in with the indicator that focuses on our membership in the writing Community. We are something like a herd of cats, so don’t look for a whole lot of conscious coordination. For all that, I have seen, and personally experienced, others enriching their writing vocation by reaching out to their companion creators.

The Community Success Factors include:

• Forming, leading, or actively participating in Writers’ Groups
• Furnishing emotional support
• Demonstrating, as only another committed writer can, understanding.
• Offering individual feedback to other writers who request it from you.
• Providing honest courteous helpful comment in a safe environment
• Arranging for group 'social' luncheons and seasonal celebrations. (Writing is an otherwise solitary undertaking)
• Providing information about possible places for others to publish, or receive editing services, or locate illustration partners
• Acting as a not-for-profit, or reduced-fee, or lose-money-every-time publisher
• Sponsoring or attending another writer's book launch.
• Suggesting the information and how-to websites, seminars, and books you have found personally helpful.
• Warning others of scam sites and practices
• Depending on how you feel about creative people competing with each other, suggesting suitable contests
• Being at the other end of the telephone, or of a Facebook message, or whatever when another writer is blocked or overwhelmed or discouraged.
• Demonstrating a positive influence on other writers, beyond your own pages.

As committed writers we are, each of us, entirely individual. 

But we need not be entirely alone.