Saturday, March 3, 2012

How Do You Celebrate Writing Success?

I'm a firm believer that celebrating success is important. You need to reward yourself when you get it right; and not just for the big things. Just the other week I took my wife out to dinner to celebrate surviving a particularly brutal Wednesday. Part of the fun in life is giving yourself (and others) a pat on the back when you reach an ancomplishment. So when you have success in writing, how do you celebrate?

I have to admit, since I'm fairly new to the writing game I haven't yet had many successes to celebrate. When I finished the first draft of my current manuscript I think the wife and I went out to dinner (You might notice a theme and think I don't like to cook but it's not true; I love to cook. I just also love it when others cook for me.) When (not if) I finally get said manuscript published however, I have bigger plans.

I love tattoos. I find their aesthetics, symbolism, and permanence to be absolutely fascinating. Right now I have 2 tattoos, both of which are what I call "commemorative tattoos" or ink that I've gotten to commemorate an important life event. I also share both of my tattoos. My wife and I both have a tattoo I designed for our engagement and my wife, my brother, and I share a sea turtle tattoo I designed to celebrate a summer we all spent together in Florida.

What's all this have to do with celebrating writing success you ask? Drum-roll please.....when I finally get that manuscript published, I want to commemorate the event with a new tattoo. I'm not 100% sure what it will be but I have 2 likely candidates. The first are the last lines of the 11th Century Persian epic poem the Shahnameh written by Ferdowsi:


"I shall not die, these seeds I’ve sown will save
My name and reputation from the grave
And men of sense and wisdom will proclaim
When I have gone, my praises and my fame."

The second candidate is by French novelist Michel Butor. It's much simpler but along a similar theme:

"Every word written is a victory against death."

What do you think? Can you suggest any other potential candidates? What are your celebratory plans for your next writing success? 

 

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for stopping by my blog on writing. Remember, you are not an "aspiring" author if you have already written a story. You are just an yet to be published author.

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  2. When I get published, my celebration will be to start another book. And another. And another. :)

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  3. @Christine, after a lot of though I have to say that I disagree with you. I posted about it. Take a look:

    http://adamsapple2day.blogspot.com/2012/03/semantics-of-aspiring-author.html

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  4. @David - Starting isn't my problem. Finishing is my problem. That's why I need to make it a big deal when it actually happens!

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