Gayle Forman's advice on success... and it's pretty brilliant

I loved this moment from Sara Zarr's interview with New York Times bestselling YA Author Gayle Forman (who also had a successful movie made of her novel "If I Stay.")

Author Gayle Forman

It's about 16:30 into episode 39 of Sara's This Creative Life podcast...

Gayle says,

"If your validation comes from an external source, you are f***-ed. You are in trouble. Because that is so fickle. And you are completely dependent on things that are so outside your control, and that is such a terrifying feeling. You are dependent on how your publisher is going to publish your book, and what the market is like at that point and what the reviews say... it's just all of this external validation. Which, when it goes in your direction, feels really good – let's not lie about that. But it can only feel so good, there's that little voice telling you, it will not always be so. So, the important thing then is to kind of come back to the things that give you a sense of internal validation, and that can be whatever, it can be family, it can be friends. But if we're going to talk about publishing, it's the work. It's the satisfaction you get from producing the work.
...So whenever all that other crazy stuff is kind of driving me crazy, I try and kind of bring it back to the one thing I can control – and that is the work. And that's the thing that brings me so much satisfaction."

Wise words. Thanks Gayle! (And thanks Sara, as well!)

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee