How to Become an Overnight Success

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By Ginny L. Yttrup

When my debut novel, Words, won the Christy Award for Best First Novel, my agent joked that I’d become an “overnight success.” Before the award, few had read my writing. After the award, Words sold well, and the novel consistently sells well eleven years later.

But an overnight success? Not exactly. The road that led to the publication of that first book was seventeen years in the making.

So, what did I learn during that seventeen-year pursuit? A lot. But my primary lesson was this: the path to success is paved with small steps.

That lesson isn’t glamorous or even new.

But it is dependable.

It may be one of the most important lessons for writers to embrace. When we focus on a fast and easy route to publication, we’re apt to sacrifice our growth as writers. Honing our craft requires time, effort, and a commitment to personal development that provides readers the depth of experience they seek.

Does that mean you have to invest seventeen years learning the craft of writing before you reach publication? No. It means there’s value in the small, steady steps of learning. Accumulated, those steps may lead to your success as a writer.

The small steps, the slow steps, require patience, and patience isn’t always easy. But when we focus our attention and inner dialogue on the direction we’re headed, rather than the destination we haven’t yet reached, we can begin to appreciate the road we’re traveling.

In his New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits, James Clear presents both the benefit of and the science behind small steps or changes that lead to big results. Clear writes,

Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, writing a book, winning a championship, or achieving any other goal, we put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about. Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.

Nearly a dozen years into my publishing career, I’m still discovering and employing small steps that lead to learning and growth. Those steps are often focused on increasing productivity or applying effective marketing or business practices.  I also continue to take steps to improve my craft—I never want to stop growing as a writer.

While I still have unmet goals, I’m now content, patient even, as I take small steps. I know those steady steps will lead me somewhere significant, to a result I’m not willing to risk by rushing.

How about you? What small steps are you taking? Are you anxious to reach your destination? Maybe the time will pass more quickly if we travel together.

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Ginny L. Yttrup is an award-winning author, blogger, writing coach, and developmental editor as wordsforwriters.net. She is passionate about encouraging writers to use their God-given gifts to the fullest. She resides in Northern California with her rescue pup, Henry.

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