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Above that is the level for those who actually fi nish a
full-length novel. This is a great place to be. This is where
real writers come from.
The next level holds those who write another novel,
because the first one is probably going to be rejected.
They do this, because they are novelists, not just some-
one who happened to write a novel.
Next are those who get published. Above that are
those who are published multiple times.
At the very top is a Wheel of Fortune. This wheel goes
around and lands on a book like Cold Mountain. Or The
Shack. No one can control this.
Your job, I told the young woman, is to keep moving
up the pyramid. Each level presents its own challenges,
so concentrate on the ones right in front of you. As you
move up, you’ll notice there are fewer people, not more.
If you work hard, you might get a novel on the wheel,
and that’s as far as you can get. After that, it’s not up to
you anymore.
The conference went on, and I eventually forgot all
about this incident.
A couple of years later, I bumped into her at another
conference. She told me that this conversation and the
diagram had a profound effect on her, and that she was
going to keep going.
Two years after that, she wrote to tell me she had
landed a book deal. She is now a published author.
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