‘How long did it take you to write ‘On The Road’?

‘3 weeks’.

‘How long were you on the road for?’

‘7 years’. — was a conversation between Steve Allen and Jack Kerouac.

We live most of our lives online; it’s easy to think that someone becomes an internet sensation in the blink of an eye. But do they?

The narrative of overnight success is alluring.

I was tempted to believe in instant success when I started my online creator journey in 2021 with video creation, then moved on to digital writing this year.

I’ve been consistently showing up on Medium in the past few months. I gathered over 900 followers and saw a 300% increase in my story views.

That’s when I realized my success as a writer would depend on the mixture of my effort, continuous experiments, learning from data, and my unyielding perseverance.

Three Case Studies of Grit

J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling gave us the magical universe of Harry Potter. She didn’t just wave a wand and become an overnight sensation. She faced rejections from publishers for many years. It’s crazy to think that none of them recognized her greatness.

But did she give up?

Absolutely not!

She kept grinding and collecting those rejection letters like badges of honour. And look where it got her — Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone finally broke through, and now the series has sold millions of copies.

Stephen King

Then, we’ve got Stephen King, who turned horror into art.

His first novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 times!

Yes, that’s right!

But he didn’t let rejection deter him. He kept pushing the book until he found a publisher who saw King’s talent.

And just like that, he became ‘an overnight success.’

He has the kind of grit we all need to make it as a writer.

Elizabeth Gilbert

You might’ve not read the book but must’ve watched the similarly titled movie — Eat, Pray, Love.

Elizabeth Gilbert is the creative force behind it.

Before she became a global sensation, she was navigating the world of writing, honing her skills, and collecting stories that would later resonate with millions.

It wasn’t an easy journey, but she stuck with it; and the rest is history.

You might be thinking, okay, I get this, but we live in a digital era. So, how does their success compare to the trials & errors writers meet in the digital age?

Modern Writers on Medium

Think of your favourite writer on Medium.

• What’s their journey?
• How long have they been writing and practising their craft?
• How many years did they just publish without any reward?
• What’s their publication history/How often do they publish?
• How many followers did they have a year ago, 2 years ago, 5 years ago?
• What’s their engagement like?
• Did they write a break-out piece?
• Do they write full-time or part-time?
• What’s their background?
• Have they faced rejection?
• Do they credit their success to luck or skill?
• Do they sound like anyone else on Medium?

Here are some of my favourite Medium writers: Zulie Rane, Tim Denning, Eve Arnold, and Sinem Günel.

There are only a couple of things in common among these people.

1 — They all developed a unique voice.

They sound like no one else. For example, if I saw a Tim Denning article without knowing it was a TD article, I’d be able to recognize his tone and style without a doubt.

If a writer has a distinct style, it’s likely not their first rodeo, which means they’ve been doing it for a long time.

They all have a differentiator.

2 — They all have the power of not giving up!

The key to ‘overnight’ success remains the same: resilience, dedication, a relentless pursuit of your craft, and a whole lot of hard work.