Thinking about the success of your piece

Many authors get stuck when writing because they’re worried about the success of their piece. “Success” is often defined by the answer to the following questions:

1. Will this get the attention it deserves/I want?
2. Will this be persuasive?
3. Will this have the emotional experience I want my readers to have?
4. Will this sell well?

#1 and #4 are dependent on factors outside the scope of the piece, in addition to the quality of the piece. In other words: you can only go so far with the writing to help the piece get attention or sell well. Success in these domains isn’t entirely dependent on the quality of the piece.

It requires promoting the piece, finding the right selling strategies, and so on. Some pieces catch the attention of an influential figure or publication, which lead to more attention and sales. But as a writer, you’ll need to do work beyond writing to achieve these outcomes (or rely on luck to work in your favor).

Worrying about the outcome you desire once the piece is published can be distracting. You want to be present with the piece and give it the attention it deserves as you’re writing it, then work on “giving your piece legs” once you’ve completed it.

Don’t get distracted by what comes after writing AS you write. Write, edit, then promote (or figure out ways to promote).

Do you find yourself being distracted by thoughts about how your piece will be received?