What’s Luck Got to Do, Got to Do with It?

(Sorry about the earworm…)

I’m sure you’ve heard – I know I’ve said it – that persistence is the number one thing that writers must have in order to achieve their dreams of publication. And yes, that is a truth. It’s a rare (if ever) thing that a struggling wanna-be writer lands an agent and a deal and, glory be!, a big-time goal like best seller status on the first round.

To achieve these dreams, even the most modest of them, you must persist through doubt and rejection, often many times over.

But I’d like to talk about the role of luck in making dreams come true.

And why? Because sometimes, we fail to recognize luck when it turns in our direction.

Way back before I was published, when I toiled alone and wondered whether my dream of being a published author would ever come true, I volunteered for the local kidlit SCBWI group. I did this for the friends I made, but I also did it because I learned things. Volunteers did stuff like pick up editors from the airport (and, really now, what’s better than being locked in a car with an editor for an hour or so?) And we could score reduced fees for conferences, reduced fees for membership, and meet other authors who were published and experienced.

It was a great way to learn about the industry and grow my community, but it also offered me an open door with one big lucky break.

That break came when, at the last minute and on a whim, I contacted another SCBWI region in the great state of Texas to ask if I could attend their conference. And casually asked whether there were still openings for critiques with the visiting agents or editors.

“You can come to the conference but,” the RA said, “no critiques left.”

Two days later she called me and said, “We’ve had a last-minute cancellation for a critique with an editor. You want to take it? If you do, you have to send me the first ten pages like, right now, this instant.”

Reader, I could have said no. I could have had cold feet about the novel I’d been working on for months but that still wasn’t ready. I could have said, “I need time to revise it!” But I didn’t. I hit send on those ten pages without even a simple proof-read.

The editor in question read my pages on the flight down, and when we met, she shocked me with her off-the-charts excitement about what I’d sent (last minute, because of luck). Four months later she became an agent, and she signed me as a client based on that last-minute lucky break reading. Those pages became the opening of my first novel, published by Penguin in 2010.

How many times do we not take a leap of faith? How many times do we walk past the open door?

It’s hard to keep going after rejection. Before this lucky break I’d been rejected – a lot. Sometimes leaving a critique in tears. Feeling like I couldn’t do it. Thinking my writing, well, su**ed. But I didn’t give up, even when I thought I should.

So yes, persistence is required. But how often do we miss the subtle glow of simple luck?

I’m one of those people who believes that the universe opens to those who are open to the universe. Whether you are a writer hoping for publication, or an athlete hoping for a medal, or a singer hoping for a record, or a wanna-be anything, don’t underestimate, or ignore, the simplicity of luck. The universe is waiting, and you must be ready to walk through when the door opens.

So, be ready. Leap when you least want to. Take a chance, let yourself go, don’t hesitate, don’t wait for perfection. You probably won’t recognize the right moment until after it happens.

I’ve got courses for you.

If you want to vet that story (and create a perfect critique pitch while you’re at it) you’ll want the Idea Incubator.

Need to understand the 7 Emotional Drivers of a great character? That’s what’s in Character Compass.

Wish to make those first pages reach out and grab an agent? Try First Pages Pop, my guide to the 5 Key Things all first pages must contain.

I’m building more courses all the time, and adding new material to existing courses, and you have lifetime access to any purchase.

Above all – keep on writing. And be sure to take a leap of faith!