Vagaries.

The writing and publishing industry is an odd one. It’s full of fluctuations, many triumphs, and even more disappointments. The most important thing to remember when dealing with disappointment, though?

Never let it make you bitter.

No matter what cheerful face you put on, people will always be able to tell that you’re bitter, resentful, and angry at the status quo – and it will affect their perceptions of you, and their decisions about working with you versus working with your competition. If you’re going to be realistic, be realistic; anticipating failure in an industry with a 99.9% failure rate isn’t bitterness, it’s pragmatism. But there’s a line between pragmatism and bitterness, one fraught with sour temperaments, dire predictions, and a lot of whining. Don’t cross that line.

If you can’t be positive, calmly realistic, or the epitome of sunshine-farting pink kittens, then be silent. It’s better than venting your frustrations to the world. You never know when something you say might come back to bite you in the arse one day.