I found a great article from Writer’s Digest online reflecting on the growth and success trajectory in a writer’s life. And this quote stood out to me the most:

The problem with the way American culture often talks about success is that our metaphors are so linear—so aimed at a particular destination. We talk about climbing a ladder or we use the language of “peaking,” as if we are ascending a height. But what if the writing life—and perhaps all of our vocational endeavors—is more like the tending of a fire? Success then is dynamic and changing. This metaphor acknowledges that there will inevitably be moments of brilliance and brightness but also of quiet embers. It tells us that at times things seem to sputter and turn to ash and yet, with just the right breeze, can roar to life again. It leaves room for bonfires but also campfires but also candles. It tells us that the point isn’t a particular result but to tend—and to attend—to those things that need tending. It tells us the point of our lives is not a particular arrival but the quiet, steady work of becoming fully alive.

–Tish Harrison Warren, Writer’s Digest 5/11/2026

I’ve been guilty of only viewing my writing career as a trajectory that moves upward–climbing the ladder of success, so to speak.

But in truth, my success has flickered, simmered, and grown into a full flame (and in no particular order, too). But notice that as long as it’s tended to, the fire doesn’t burn out.

A lot of times I stop writing when I feel overwhelmed or burnt out. The Darkening Gate trilogy has really helped me overcome this because for the first time in my life, I’m writing books on hard deadlines, instead of meandering 2-3 years with plenty of starts and stops. While I haven’t always tended to the fire, and have let it go out sometimes, I always restart it. Someday I hope I can evolve to the point that I never get it so low that it snuffs out. This requires determination and the drive to not give up. I know I am capable of this; I just need to put it into practice.

What do you think, readers? Is a success trajectory an upward climb, or a fire slowly being tended to?