Insecure Writer's Support Group is a blog hop hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh where totally insecure writers can get together and share the things that are making us go argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This month I started reading The Click Moment by Frans Johansson. It's a breakthrough book which looks at the influence of randomness and serendipity on success.While it's an amazing book and teaches that you never know what's going to speak to people and propel you into super stardom, it also takes the standpoint that often talent and hard work aren't enough to ensure you become successful.
One of the examples used to highlight the points made by the book is Stephanie Meyer's huge international success with Twilight and how she went against the grain in terms of making her vampires differ from the norm. People responded to this in a completely random way and now she's laughing all the way to the bank.
Whilst reading The Click Moment has been a huge eye opener and has taught me to cast my net wider as you never know what's going to strike a chord with people, it's also given me pause to worry about never being able to tap into the random opportunities and therefore never being able to reach the audience I need to enable me to pursue writing as a viable career.
Let's face it, half the reason why writing is so desirable to me is because it doesn't involve too much human contact. At least not for the most part. I'm not overly shy per se, I just feel like conversations always go better in my head (or in a book!) than they do in real life. Therefore, I'm not really the kind of person who jumps at small opportunities that could lead to big success. I guess what I'm saying is that if success is based on randomness and serendipity, where does that leave control freaks like me who work hard but lack the confidence to grab opportunities when they arise?
That my friends is my insecure moment for the month!
