Let Fate and Posterity Be Your Judges

Let fate and posterity be your judges. Ignore the market. Ignore the bestseller lists. Ignore the prize nominations, or lack of them. Ignore any friends or contemporaries who are making more money than you while you toil away in your garret. All of this is easier said than done; try to do it nonetheless. You have a star to follow. Don’t be distracted from it by the rise and fall of fashions or fortunes, including your own. You have no idea how valuable your work is, and you probably never will. What you can be sure of is that true value is not to be measured in either sales figures or notoriety.

PAUL KINGSNORTH