LUCKY WRITERS

by Deborah Elliott-Upton

“You are so lucky to be published writers,” a woman said to my group of author-friends sharing a book signing event.

Actually, the process was more than luck and involved a lot of work by each of us, I thought, but didn’t say. I knew her word choice was not the best, but she meant well. It was supposed to be a compliment.

Who believes in luck? Whether it’s good luck or bad luck, an astonishing number of us, do.

On a recent television news/entertainment show’s broadcast, a guest reported 53% of Americans are superstitious, believing in luck, whether real or perceived . Chatting with my buddies, I found this statement pertains to writers, too. Several admit they refuse to talk about their WIP (work in progress). It doesn’t seem to be so much that they fear someone will steal their ideas (although a couple did mention this possibility) as much as they were afraid they’d lose their passion for the story and characters. “Bad luck is too easily brought on,” one told me, shuddering. Some admitted they were simply superstitious and wouldn’t talk about an unfinished work any more than they’d walk beneath a ladder, place a hat on a bed, or cross a black cat’s path on Halloween.

Intelligent and absolutely sensible in other matters, some folks admit that not adhering to superstitions makes them (on occasion) tremble like frightened children on a stormy night.

“Depend on the rabbit’s foot if you will, but remember, it didn’t work for the rabbit.” – R. E. Shay (While many recognize this quote, no one seems to know who R. E. Shay actually was – not even Google! He has been called an author, but does anyone know what he wrote?)

All of us know someone who became famous or rich or both and that the public believes was “just lucky” because they really:

• Didn’t deserve such fortune
• Weren’t talented
• Obviously knew the right people

Probably they did deserve it, were talented and just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

What if luck did have something to do with finding a great idea, finding time to devote to actually writing the story and running into the exact person who could make ones dream come true of being a published writer?

I’d call that luck colliding head-on with someone who did the work and made himself available to such perfect opportunities. I’m not sure luck had much to do with his success. Often luck arrives in disguise. We have to recognize fortunate circumstances when they comes into our lives.

“Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow’s good luck.” – Og Mandino, author of The Greatest Salesman in the World and past president of “Success Unlimited” magazine.

“All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck – who keeps right on going – is the man who is there when the good luck comes – and is ready to receive it.” – Robert Collier, author of The Book of Life.

One of the principles in Dr. Richard Wiseman’s book, The Luck Factor is “Lucky People create, notice, and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives.” I believe this is how successful authors become successful. Is there luck involved in getting your short story published? If the story is never written or never sent to an editor, even the best luck isn’t going to help.

Do I feel fortunate to be published? Yes. Do I consider myself blessed to be able to share my thoughts on writing each week with you? Definitely. Do I think I’m a lucky writer? Indeed, I do.