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?
