Today I’m going to pimp Seth Godin’s blog post: Why don’t authors compete?
Read it, it’s good. But here’s what I’ve gotten out of it. That the career of writing is—at its best—filled with other writers who cheer each other on. As solitary a profession as it is, we’re surrounded by fellow writers who uphold us, support us, and help us. This is very different from many other professions where competition is the rule.
I’m a writer. I didn’t get here on my own. From the teachers who taught me how to string a sentence together to the writers who are ahead of me in the business and offer their advice and support, I owe a lot of people thanks. (As well as family and friends who might not always understand what I do but cheer me on anyway.)
I’ve asked questions and have been answered. I do the same for others when I can. It’s a circle filled with creativity and laughter and groans of frustration. Who else will fully understand except another writer?
Does that mean there’s no envy or jealousy? Of course not. There are times when I hear that a friend is writing at breakneck speed and I feel a twinge. Or someone is publishing their tenth book and I’m still working to get my first novel out there. But if I feel that momentary twinge, it’s also true that if their work is doing well, it doesn’t diminish mine. And it gives me hope that mine will do well too.
I agree 8 million per cent with this (if that’s possible…). If one author is doing well, most other authors do better because readers are buying books and talking about books.
Exactly! And also, I find a lot of us to be a fun group to hang with, even virtually. 🙂