Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.

Becoming a published author is a lot like winning Survivor. (Okay, minus the bickering and backstabbing etc. Not a perfect analogy, but let’s go with it.)

If you’ve never seen the show, here is the gist: Sixteen people compete in a remote wilderness location in an attempt to become the last survivor, all for a million-dollar prize. The show rewards survival skills, mental toughness, and personal interactions.

Outwit

On the show, players need to stay one step ahead of their competition—or at least ahead of the bottom person so they don’t get voted off. To win a challenge, they have to complete physical and mental activities better or faster than their competition.

So how does a writer outwit his competition? By being a better storyteller. Ask any agent or editor and they will tell you it’s all about the story.

Be more clever with your hook, better at the language, better at storytelling.

Outplay

On Survivor, alliances are formed to help players last longer. Sometimes many alliances are formed. Players have to pay attention. They also have to either be liked, or be useful to the group in order to stay in play. Laziness won’t get you far in Survivor.

How does a writer outplay his competition? By consistently working. Writing, submitting, networking. Know the rules (submission guidelines!) and know when it is okay to break them. Know the marketplace as best you can. Also, keep in mind that publishing is a rather small tribe. Word gets around about writers behaving badly. So outplay, but outplay nicely.

And, don’t go half in—go all in. Write to win.

Outlast

To win Survivor, you must be the last person standing. There is only one prize; fifteen people will not win it. Only one wins.

As a writer, how do you outlast your competition?

Let’s make a little chart using completely made up, non-scientific numbers based on personal guessing. (Yup, leaning heavily on those fiction skills.)

Meanwhile, starting in Year 2, one hundred NEW writers begin writing. Some of them will get contracts before those who started in Year 1. Then in Year 3, add in a new crop of writers  and maybe even some of the dropouts from Year 2 who have decided to hop back into the pool.

The competition keeps coming, but if you started in Year 1 and have been working hard, you should, in theory, be ahead of these newbies.  (Unless they Outwit or Outplay you!)

If you find yourself struggling with the Outlast aspects of the Writer’s Survivor, check out this blog post from Shrinking Violet Promotions:  For Those We Lose Along The Way . Many writers quit before they make it. Or even after that first book. There is no doubt that a writer has to persevere. We can encourage one another along the way (See? We can be more civil than the TV show).

In summary, what is a writer’s version of Survivor?

• Outwit–have a better story

• Outplay–work harder

• Outlast–persevere until publication

If you are a die-hard Survivor fan I’m sure there are other analogies to be made. (I didn’t even talk about the Tribal Council!)

So how about it? Are you a Survivor?