Post date: Aug 18, 2015 4:05:41 AM
What are your chances?
Odds of winning a lottery (mega million) 1 in 135,146,000
Odds of getting attacked by a shark is 1 in 12,000,000
(humans attack more people than sharks)
Odds of becoming president are 1 in 10,000,000
Odds of becoming a billionaire are 1 in 7,000,000
Odds of getting hit by lightening are 1 in 700,000
Odds of getting killed by fireworks 1 in 600,000
Odds of getting killed in plane crash 1 in 355,000
Odds of going blind after laser eye surgery 1 in 85,000
Odds of dating a supermodel 1 in 89,000
Odds of becoming a professional athlete 1 in 23,000
Odds of finding a pearl in an oyster 1 in 13,000
Odds of dying in a car accident 1 in 6,000
Odds of winning an Oscar 1 in 12,000
Odds of dying from an injury in the next year are 1 in 1,820
Odds of writing a bestseller (NY Times) 1 in 220
Odds of being arrested for drunk driving are 1 in 200
Odds of being audited by the IRS is 1 in 180
Odds of being called to “Come on down” on the TV show Price is Right are 1 in 37
Odds of being a victim of a murder, assault, robbery or rape are 1 in 20
AND
Odds of being DIAGNOSED with cancer is 1 in 2
(in my family it is 3/5 which is 60% rather than 50% because I thought this was high but when I figured it out it seems about right)
If you look at the list and figure out your odds, Dear Writers, how do you increase those odds?
If you do not date then the supermodel one is out. If you do now swim in an ocean then the shark attack one is out. Your family genetics and history may mean your likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer is higher or lower.
If you do not write then the odds of writing a best seller are NONE, ZILCH, NADA, ZIP, NOTHING, ZERO, NAUGHT, DIDDLY SQUAT, NO CHANCE AT ALL!
Now you and I both write, odds are increasing, if you don’t finish what you write then you are back to square one. If you finish what you write, you only have to write 220 books? Well, who knows, just write well and write for the best and you will have the satisfaction of being a novelist and that is good enough for me.
All the rest is just, well, a roll of the dice.