The Sci Foundation Forum Ever see "The Karate Kid"?

Mr. Miyagi, a gardener by trade if I remember right (though I can be wrong) and a Karate Master of some standing, eventually took on an unskilled and socially awkward apprentice.  The kid actually stepped-up and did the seemingly mindless work with which he was tasked, and yet he continually groused about what seemed to him as trite, mindless, nit-picked nothings.  Finally Miyagi got tired of the kid's misunderstandings and got in his face and "showed" the relevance of each move that was being performed so grudgingly. 

Of course as it always is with "movies" the kid BECAME the next Norse God of Karate Mayhem - unbeatable and a pure "winner".  In life, it doesn't quite work that way.  We have successes that need to be relevant to our personal goals.  Professionally - well, a person's writings aren't normally enough; nor is ability, ideas, characters, content, eroticisms, genre, and the host of other concepts we hold so dear.  In addition to all of the aforementioned there is always an added element of luck.  Being at the right place at the right time with the right material is much more the rule than the exception. 

If your "material" isn't right it gets ignored.  Who reads a full novel if the first page doesn't draw them in - for whatever reason?  Who reads or even uses a computer guide or a "How To" manual if they perceive errors from the beginning?  - Or if its way too over a reader's head - understanding wise.  Unlike within advertising copy, errors don't get laughed at - they get you ignored and dismissed.  If you get dismissed, well - there is no second chance for a first impression.

Everyone wants to be "published"!  Seems its like the absolute accomplishment of all time for a writer.  Getting YOUR words in front of someone else's eyes.  It automatically elevates you to that rare realm of "FAMOUS", and the monetary rewards - living an obscene life of decadence and excess!  Before 1980 being published had a different meaning socially than it has today.  Back then it was a physical publishing.  Beyond newsprint few were paid to allow their thoughts to be bound and presented to the "Great Unwashed".  Printed efforts were limited to a very select few who for one reason or another had an "in" ...and that "in" didn't always reflect talent.

Today, in reality, publishing is a different ball of wax.  Book stores are less and less commonplace!  Even major contenders are going under... remember B Daltons as an example.  Go on the web!  Search and find - anything ...and everything.  We place our thoughts where people can access them and damned if they don't DO just that!  They find us and listen to our stories, our poems, our thoughts and unlike in the olden days of "snail mail" they can comment DIRECTLY to an author - in REAL TIME! - who somehow touched behind their eyes.  We bemoan not having opportunities when in fact people have NEVER had MORE of an opportunity to be heard and seen.

Success is how you look at and avail yourself of opportunities.  The old days of putting the old notebooks in boxes, steamer trunks, and suitcases and placing them in attics and basements to remain forever and after unseen are gone.  Today, ANYONE and EVERYONE can access a web page from any WHERE in the world.  So guess what? - every time you post a work its ...published.  How the readers react well THAT is within your grasp as an author.

Chris