Success as a Writer

To suck, or not to suck. This is a word that one of my high school  teachers specifically forbade us from using in our work. She didn’t think it was descriptive enough. Or maybe that it was slang. But I think it has moved to a status where we all know what it means and few words have the same impact, so I will use it in my definition. Success as a writer is the absence of sucking at writing. This, however, is such a subjective judgment that it does need some clarifying. And like all judgments, specific criteria are needed to establish an outcome. But I don’t want to do that, so I’ll just say that I will consider myself a successful writer if I actually complete a body (collection) of work that I can look at and determine for myself if I like it. Though, I think even if I don’t like it and I can make some money at it, I would consider it a success. It all depends on what I want to get out of if. If my goal is to make a living from writing and I don’t make enough money, then I’m a failed writer. If I want to write for personal satisfaction but I don’t satisfy myself, then I’m a failed writer. But if I have no expectations of my writing, then I’m a success (assuming I write something). So I have yet to determine what goals I have as a writer, and that is something I will establish as I write more.