By J.W. Zarek

Figure 1 – Runner at Dawn.

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” – Steve Jobs

There’s been discussion in author forums about only listening to six-figure authors and dismissing advice from anyone who hasn’t reached that income level.

I’ve noticed something concerning: well-meaning people who genuinely believe they’re helping by saying this, especially in forums with “Support” or “Beginner” in the title.

I understand the intent. They want to protect beginners from bad advice. But here’s what actually happens: it creates gatekeeping that silences the very community these forums exist to support.

Ask yourself three questions: Does that advice help you write better? Does it improve your craft? Or does it make you hesitate to post your most pressing questions because you’re worried the answer might come from another writer who just solved exactly what you’re struggling with, not from a six-figure author?

Sometimes listening to the so-called ‘experts’ or six-figure earning authors, what they’re saying is often correct. What worked for them might work for you. But it becomes the worst advice when what they’re saying either doesn’t apply or doesn’t help your immediate circumstances.

My Marathon Story

So yes, listen to those “experts” and “six-figure income authors.” But I want to share a story to encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing, whether it’s writing, running, or any other pursuit, even when the “experts” are screaming one thing and your heart, gut, and soul are telling you the exact opposite.

Always trust your heart, gut, and soul.

I ran in a marathon I had no business running in that led to an increase in my own happiness. I’m a Disabled Veteran with permanent, painful neuropathy in both legs and feet, and I had no business running in the Walt Disney World Marathon.

The Injuries

In 1991, on my first deployment to the Persian Gulf, I broke my right foot in multiple places, and later, the same foot had to be re-broken to properly heal.

During recovery, a blood test revealed I had gangrene and amputation from the knee down was a real possibility.

Thankfully, powerful antibiotics worked. I got to keep my foot and leg, and I picked up a cool, new permanent limp.

Then in 2003, I had two surgeries to remove a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection from the same foot. The Chief Surgeon told me to make final preparations because MRSA is aggressive and over seventy percent of individuals don’t make it.

My gut told me everything would be okay, and I said, “Doc, you and your staff treat me like I’m the other thirty percent, because I have to get back to my ship on deployment and raise my son.” Again, I recovered, my limp more pronounced.

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude” – Scott Hamilton

Figure 2 – Overcoming Physical Limitations

The Waiting Room That Changed Everything

After I was honorably discharged, I returned to the East Coast. And the day I was fitted for shoe inserts at the Walter Reed Amputee Clinic changed me forever.

In the waiting room, surrounded by veterans missing arms and legs, I became aware of how happy, upbeat, and engaged in conversation everyone was with the person next to them.

It was in that waiting room I made the choice to run in a marathon.

I was going to run for my dad, also a veteran, who died from cancer, and for all the men and women who ever wore a uniform who were unable to run now.

I discovered a group called Team in Training (TNT) that helps people train and participate in different athletic events while raising money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was pumped and motivated.

Figure 3 – Men and Women Running Along a Path.

Training Was a Struggle

Training was a struggle the entire time.

But the biggest challenge was running up hills. Knee surgery that had removed cartilage created tremendous pain that would only go away when I was on a downward slope or flat ground again.

One training day, I was scheduled to run 14 miles and it went longer than expected. The weather was bad, the run rough, and one of the hills took longer than expected. I pushed through the pain up the hill, and at the bottom, a lone TNT Coach blocked my path.

He told me based on the time it took me to run to this point, I wouldn’t complete the actual marathon’s sixteen hour established completion time.

I told the coach I was running in the marathon.

He raised his arms and said, “Then I take no further responsibility for you, and strongly recommend you do not participate in the marathon.”

“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” – Ray Bradbury

Figure 4 – Lone runner on a challenging uphill path

Mile 22: The Wall

I made it to race day, but on mile twenty-two my feet went flat, and my legs and feet were heavier than I’ve ever experienced. I hit the Runner’s Wall. I was about to give up, when a man wearing a TNT Coach’s t-shirt ran alongside me.

He asked how I was doing, and how I was holding up. I told him, “Not good, I hit the wall and I think I’m going to stop.” He asked, “So why are you running?”

I told him, “For my dad, and all the men and women in uniform who can no longer run.” And the oddest tingle washed through me when I said the words.

There was a shift, a drive to keep moving and I focused on the same thought:

For my dad and all the men and women in uniform no longer able to run.

I turned to thank the coach, but he was gone. I looked behind me, each side of the road and further in front, but my mysterious coach, my guardian angel had disappeared.

Figure 5 – How it Feels to Break Through Runner’s Wall

“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.” – Helen Keller

Crossing the Finish Line

Figure 6 – Marathon finish line moment

This mantra stuck on repeat, fueled my body to keep running the remaining miles. And when I crossed the finish line, I looked up to the skies and said, “For you Dad, and all the men and women in uniform no longer able to run.” My body rippled with a joy and happiness that flooded every cell.

And I ran the marathon in under thirteen and a half hours.

The coach who washed his hands of me came up to me to shake my hand and apologize he ever doubted me.

I wasn’t even mad Walt Disney World’s website said I finished as a 44-year-old woman. Because I made the choice to run a marathon, and when I couldn’t go on, I kept running, and the outcome of that choice brought me a happiness I carry with me to this day.

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot

What This Means for You as an Author

Figure 7 – Writers on Their Own Author’s Journey

Had I listened to that coach at the bottom of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, or to the 100% of people who told me they didn’t believe I could do it, I may never have run a marathon.

At the end of the day, you can listen to those experts and anyone else sharing information with you, but use and incorporate whatever works for YOU in YOUR circumstances best.

Because none of those experts and six-figure authors will ever walk in your shoes.

But you do.

Every single day.

That beginner who just figured out how to format their book? They’re walking in shoes very similar to yours right now and their advice might be exactly what you need today.

Your Author’s Marathon

Because writing can be like running. Sometimes you write in a sprint at explosive speed. But your author’s journey is all your own, and as you train and improve your craft, you might discover your journey was its own kind of marathon with its own ups and downs, success and failure, but you kept going nonetheless and finished writing the scene, the chapter, and the book.

So take and use what you can from everyone, including the “experts” and six-figure income authors, and keep writing. Keep learning. Keep improving your craft and go win your own author marathons too.

Because you’re enough – who you are and where you are on your author’s journey.

Figure 8 – J. W. Successfully Finishing the Walt Disney World Marathon

“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” – Mother Teresa

And when you come to a forum with the name “support” and “beginner,” here’s to getting and giving that perfect kind of help that’s needed most, and not because you or the other person is the only “expert” or six-figure income author in the room.

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About the Author

J.W. Zarek is a Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author who’s written or co-authored seventeen books, with seven #1 bestsellers out of nine published books.

As a Disabled Veteran who completed the Walt Disney World Marathon despite permanent painful neuropathy, he brings a unique perspective to perseverance and achievement. His picture books for children ages 4-8 feature Slavic mythology and focus on his “I am enough” mission.

Learn more: www.jwzarek.com

© 2025 J.W. Zarek. All rights reserved.