On Writing and Death

I've been reading this fabulous book called The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes and it's been an inspirational boon to my current writing projects.   But I can't help notice that the author, Jack Bickham, makes several dark references to a writer's mortality.  If you want to be a published writer of fiction and you don't buckle down, dig in, and learn the tricks of the trade, you are very likely to die unpublished.  And that's what it all comes down to, isn't it?  How many books can I publish before I die? 

Will it be one? 

Will it be ten? 

Will it be none? 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who grapples with this issue from time to time.  Or, shall I say, all of the time.

I'm up way too late.  Good night.