An Important Lesson

[jeffreycwells]

This seems obvious at first blush, but I think it's only just starting to sink in

Comments

[dvandom]

Meh.

[jacobohare]

So Meh is ok?

[jeffreycwells]

THAT'S OKAY.

[jwgh]

The only thing I would add is that those people may include many of your friends and family.

[jeffreycwells]

Yes, and it's still okay!

It's just always been really hard for me to make situations like this mean anything other than "you should just quit". Which is, one must admit, a fairly large barrier to someone who purports to want to write things for money.

[jwgh]

When I think about my heroes and how long they had to work in obscurity before they achieved whatever success they did, depending on my mood it might inspire or depress me, but either way it indicates that there's more to success than just being good; perseverance definitely seems to be part of the equation for all but the lucky few.

[fdsf]

Meh, I sez. Being talented and hard working is already a win state.

[jeffreycwells]

I want praise and adulation, dangit!

[anonymous]

Matter of finding your audience, I think.... As someone who writes songs and sings them in pubs, I've found a song that brings intent, listening silence followed by cheering in one pub will cause everyone to leave the room in another one.
For what it's worth, "one in a million" put me in that state where you're simultaneously shivering and saying "wow."

[jeffreycwells]

Thanks, anonymous. It means a lot to me.

[hyniof]

On this note:

I did want to tell you how much I enjoyed the chapters so far of Contraptionolgy! You're striking so much notes so very rightly in this--of course Pinkie's a mad scientist! How have I not seen it before! From your choice of Applejack as narrator to the dynamic between her and Twilight...

No 'meh's from me on this one, sir. No, not a one!

Mike

[jeffreycwells]

Thanks! Glad to hear you're enjoying. I'm trying to re-train myself to write prose on a regular output schedule. I'm a slow learner, as it happens. :)