Celebrating Unwanted Milestones

The other day a friend mentioned that she'd gotten her first bad review. I offered sympathy, but she
said no hugs were required -- it's a milestone for every writer.

So it is. There are many milestones that show we're writers -- finishing a first novel draft, getting that first agent. Those are worth celebrating.

But so are the milestones we don't want. Often writers get excited for their first query rejection -- they are real writers, with the rejection to prove it. We should celebrate those too with battle decorations of kind. They show we keep going.

So let's all celebrate all those unwanted milestones that prove we're really trying. 

First terrible critique

First query rejection

100th query rejection

First trunked novel

Fifth trunked novel

First ex-agent

First bad review

First snarky GIF review

First Internet kerfuffle

First royalty statement with unearned royalties

First royalty statement where returns exceed sales

First remaindered book

First time rights returned for lack of sales 


It keeps going. But that's because WE KEEP GOING.