The Difference Between Accomplishment & Success as a Writer

1) What does being "accomplished" mean to you? I think the definition of being accomplished changes depending on the stage of your career you are. For example, when I first started writing novels, just completing a novel and getting it published was a major accomplishment. As fate would have it, my first book was always intended to be a part of a series, so each subsequent edition to the series enhances my level of accomplishment. Then there are writers who are able to live on their royalties, and that is a level of accomplishment many writers never achieve, so the rest of us can look up to them and try to emulate their techniques to enhance our level of accomplishment. Perhaps getting a book contract with a reputable publisher, as opposed to being self-pubbed or published by a small press, would be another example of being accomplished. So in a nutshell, I think being accomplished is a moving target. 2) In what ways have you become more "accomplished" during the course of this program? I think I have opened up new exciting horizons for me as a writer because as a fiction writer, I had to rely pretty much exclusively on my imagination to come up with an idea to try to turn into a story. Since I started this Creative Nonfiction program, I have never written so much in a year’s time, probably 200,000 words, and all my current WIPs are CNF titles, so it has really revitalized my writing. 3) Is there a connection between being an "accomplished" writer and being a published writer? I think there is. I know writers who say they write for themselves, but to me that is just a writer who is afraid of criticism, so they are afraid to share their work with others. Accepting a contract from a publisher means you are a professional writer, not just someone who writes for their personal entertainment. 4) Is there a difference between being "successful" and "accomplished" as a writer? When I think of the word success, there is usually dollar signs attached to that. I have been publishing for about a decade, and I have sold some books, but certainly not enough to quit my day job. Yet I do feel a sense of professional pride, seeing how the quality of my books has increased over time, and reading customer feedback on the books makes me feel like I have achieved a degree of professional accomplishment, even if I am not yet at a place where I can live off my writing. I would suppose, too, consistent with what I wrote in response to the question above about how I define accomplished, there are probably different levels of success. For example, some people may feel successful simply by bringing happiness and entertainment to people’s lives, so getting some good comments from readers may make them feel successful. Myself? I love getting feedback from my readers, but I will also admit that I would love nothing more than to sell enough books so I could afford to quit my day job! Jim Henry