In the land of writing, there can be only one goal.
Success.
If there were any other goal, there wouldn’t be a point to the whole thing. Right? But we should probably take a step back and define success as it pertains to the writing life.
Most of us who write do so because it is completely incomprehensible to do otherwise. We endure the frustrations, the writer’s block and the lack of inspiration so that the deepest part of who we are can fulfill that which we believe we’ve been called to do. Write. Right?
The success of it all comes in so many forms. A profoundly written description. A brilliant plot coming to life. Characters who take on personalities of their own. A story that makes you cry (in a good way, of course). Even simply writing a book to the very end is success, regardless of how bad you think it is. NaNo participants will understand what I’m talking about here.
Success can also be far-reaching when that agent loves your book so much that they sign you on the spot to write a trilogy that includes a movie deal and takes care of your financial needs for life. This is rare, folks. Very rare.
The why of what we do as writers is intrinsically individual. But the underlying reason for all of us is that we just know we have to. Non-writers don’t get it. And that’s okay. Our success is not defined by opinions of the naysayers. It’s not based on word count or number of pages completed. And it’s certainly not dependent on whether or not we ever publish a book.
Success as a writer is yours to define.
Inside the Writer 
Wendy, I once read a comment from a writer who said, all writers write to be read.
I agree, where writing is concerned, there are different ways of measuring success. But, ultimately, real success for most of us is having our work read, so that we may influence or inspire or whatever the case may be.
Otherwise, what is really the point of writing.
I’d argue that one, Rick. I write because I like to write. Period. The fact that people read what I write is a bonus. But as I said in my post, success is yours to define.