Shortcut to Success by Yu-Han Chao
While translating a thesis on energy conservation in rooftop insulation material, I streamed a 2004 movie, Shortcut to Happiness, on Netflix. The synopsis made me consider it the type of movie one plays in the background while doing real work: desperate wannabe writer sells soul to devil in exchange for success, and for the most part, I did not miss much when I looked down from time to time to type phrases like, “embed an RFIC with temperature sensor in the building envelope.” But besides reminding me to make some time to write (and stop taking crap translation cases in addition to my 1.5 jobs because I can’t turn down money), it also acknowledged the sad, true, yet in some sense comforting fact that success != (does not equal) talent. And talent does not mean immediate success, either, allowing for the possibility that each of us non-famous writers might have the talent to succeed. Pulitzer Prize, here we come!
If Twilight taught us anything, good writing (or good taste in jewelry) is not a prerequisite for publishing success. And what Shortcut to Happiness told me was that if one does not have extraordinary luck and connections, there is no shortcut to publication success (unless sexy devils come knocking on our doors, offering to relieve us of the burden of our souls). I know some writers who probably would sell their souls. A fellow writer and I once discussed, in all seriousness, the possibility of giving our left boobs in exchange for a bestseller, upon hearing that her friend received a Random House deal for her memoir about surviving breast cancer.
I think we all feel desperate enough to sell our souls (or left boobs) at one point or the other, so that means none of us is alone. And though there is hardly a shortcut to success, there is a long, sometimes very long, winding path: writing, rewriting, editing, submitting, publishing short pieces, submitting long pieces and having faith that one day “success” will happen if we continue to write, rewrite, edit, and submit (to journals and agents and editors, not to the devil or cancer). That way our success will be earned, and will not feel as empty and shallow as the success of the protagonist in the movie, whose books were selling like hotcakes even while critics called them crap (Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character, who represented the devil, pointed out that he only wished for “success,” and that she had no control over “talent”—ouch!)
So while sometimes we feel bitter and want to give up when we see the castles stacked entirely out of hardcover Twilight books in bookstores or hear that yet another heiress is publishing her memoir, there are still some great books out there, and ours may join their ranks one day! As long as we continue working on those drafts and submissions late at night and on weekends or holidays, between full time jobs, part time jobs and odd jobs that pay the bills, we are making our way, slowly, towards literary (and personal) success.
Yu-Han Chao is Poetry Editor at the Rose & Thorn Journal. Her poetry book, We Grow Old, was published by the Backwaters Press. Visit her writing and artwork at her Web site.
That sounds like a great movie, I'll have to check it out. And thanks for the inspiration and encouragement!
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Okay, maybe I'm just saying this because, well, because these are the things we tell ourselves, but just know that as I say it, I honestly do believe that this is what I think---I'd rather write something that I know is good and make not one penny on it than to havecommercial success for something I know is crap. (Of course, I'm sure Stephenie Meyer has no idea that the Twilight fiasco is crap, but that's a whole different topic.)
And...I gave your blog an award! Stop by nickielson.blogspotcom to pick it up.
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LOL I found the left boob thing very entertaining - I thought with all the possibilities of web2.0 and amazon it would be easier to have success...
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