Yesterday I had a decent writing day.  1000 words added to Astonishing, 400 probably salvageable.  I intended to have another decent day today.  Derailed.

First, I have to mull.  And think.  And obsess.  I’m debating whether or not to include a seksy time scene in the chapter after this next one, which will influence what and how I write this one.  Make sense?  Obviously, this makes playing online the best use of my time.  Plus, there’s the whole Nerd Child left to go back to school this morning and I’m going to miss him terribly.  Yes, yes, he’ll be back in under three weeks, but still.

I was on the writer’s forum, and there was an interesting discussion thread going.  The OP (original poster) is someone whose posts I always enjoy, sometimes thought provoking and often funny.  A master of self deprecating humor, and hey, I’m a New Yawkah, no one appreciates self deprecating humor as much as we do.  Add in the tortured writer thing, perfection.

I don’t often participate in these serious discussion threads.  Everyone, including me, gets all touchy–or worse, touchy feely–and then I sniffle because someone on the internetz hurt my feelings, sniffling leads to crying, crying leads to a headache.  I now have a fucking migraine roughly the size of Detroit.

The discussion was about luck and how it factors into writing success, prompted by an interview with Alice Cooper having to do with luck and music.  The usual forum thread commenced, some saying yes luck is a factor, others saying no, luck has nothing to do with it, cream rises to the top blahblahblah.

What do “we” want as writers?  Readers, fame, glory, acclaim, money, contracts?  The list can be long when using the royal we, but for individuals it varies.  I’ve been vocal here in Fringeland about my desires, I’d like readers and a dollar.

Why did I post on that thread?  Clearly I haven’t felt shitty enough about myself and my writing this week, and after all it is self-pity day, so I chimed in with a thoughtful and eloquent whine speaking for myself and using supporting details and anecdotes about how I call bullshit on the idea that luck isn’t a factor.  Not the only factor, but certainly a factor.  If you include timing as part of luck, it becomes that much greater.

In my opinion it is both dismissive and disrespectful to state otherwise.

Don’t even think of acknowledging the rest of life, and any responsibilities that may sometimes need to take precedence.  Heh.  If you’re a real writer, you write, read, and submit every single day no matter what.  Screw those kids wanting to eat.  Or needing medical care.  You’re a writer.  But not a writ-ah, because that would be pretentious.

The very next post after mine offered a lovely statement, “getting readers is easy.”  Really?  Well then, perhaps it’s time for Mrs Fringe to pack it in.  Since it’s so easy and all, and I’ve been doing it for a long. fucking. time. at this point I should have thousands of followers for the blog, and gazillions more reading my fiction.  And with all those readers and followers, both agents and editors should be begging me to sign contracts.  Hrrumph.

I want to be clear, I don’t believe all is up to luck, or chance, or the rabbit’s foot I ran over with my banana seat bike.  A factor, though?  Yes.