Disclaimer:
Let me start by clarifying that any tips/advice I impart in this post are behaviors I learned from my own writing experience.
The most useful bit of advice I received was to curb the natural tendency we have as humans to compare. As a querying writer, as an agented writer, as a to-be-published writer, I've been through the chaos brought about by comparisons, and its companions, discontent and a massive sense of failure, though I hadn't even started yet.
When our writer friends start with the googly eyes emojis and anticipatory posts, we know what's coming and we brace yourself. We see these posts about agent signings and book deals and feel a twinge of envy, which is perfectly natural.
PS: it's okay to be envious. It just means we're human.
But what we often don't see are the months, years, of toil, of persistence, of sweat and tears these writers went through before they were able to break out with their celebratory posts. We see the shiny veneer of success, the dazzling sheen of instant celebrity status, but miss the struggles and sheer grit that lead to it.
Recognizing these truths have helped me transition from any envy to a feeling of pride, of joy and happiness for them. These posts have also given me a renewed sense of possibility; it meant I have a chance, too. Maybe not of achieving any massive level of success, but a modest chance of readers finding my book and reading this story that has been so close to my heart.
Here's my heartfelt wish for all my fellow writers to achieve the success they want, so I can get to read all their lovely stories! (and I apologize for all the GIFs :) )
Love you all!