1. People are drawn to positivity. Don’t fake it if you obviously don’t mean it, but good vibes are contagious.
2. Writers need to support writers. This is a wonderful, though tough, business. Lift people up. Be a light.
3. It takes a lot of courage to promote your own success even if it doesn’t look scary from others’ point of view. Reward that bravery.
4. You know what it took for them to get there. You “get it.” They might need reminding that they’re not out there alone working as hard as they are to get to where they want to be.
5. You never know how one person’s success can impact the success of future writers telling similar stories, or telling stories in similar genres. Ideally, when one person “wins” everyone does. Sort of. Friendly competition is good.
6. Just because someone published something before you doesn’t mean you never will … this isn’t about you. Not really.
7. It feels good to be happy for other people … and mean it. Sometimes giving praise is even more fulfilling than receiving it.
8. You may know what this experience can be like, but you don’t know everything someone has gone through to reach this milestone. They might need your support more than you know, even at this stage of the process.
9. Jealousy and passive-aggressive silence get you nowhere. Never has, never will.
10. You’d want them to do the same thing for you — or you will, when you start hitting those “big wins.”
11. We’re all out here pretty much working toward the same goal: Getting our stories out there. Stories can change the world. We need to celebrate the good ones.
12. If you throw your newly published friend a party, and there’s cake, you get to eat some of that cake. Cake for everyone!
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is an editor and writer, and a 12-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food, and Star Wars.
Meg Dowell Writes 
Wonderful post, as usual!
Writing is such a lonely process, aside from the character voices in your head. The journey can be intimidating, especially when those closest to us, doubt us. That said, I love to see writers, actors, and other creative artists cross the finish line. As writers, it can take us anywhere from weeks to years before we see the “fruits of our labor.” Nevertheless, we write because we love to, at least most of us do. Writers, keep writing with passion, love and appreciate what you do, who you are, and believe in the beauty of your dreams.
Write on!
This is an amazing reminder that writers aren’t meant to compete with each other. Why should we? It’s not like people have to choose between one writer or the other. And if you’re friendly to the published writer, that writer might even have advice to share about how they got where they are! We should all learn from each other, not compete.
Amazing post!