Robert Greene, author of Mastery, says, "It’s not the fact that you’re born a genius, or that you have a larger brain. It’s the level of dedication and persistence and patience." Amen!
I'm the sort of person who goes along just fine, but once someone remarks on how hot it is, I start to melt.
My dedication to writing is dogged. I read a lot about how writers have to persist (and persist), and how if we really love it, we'll never be discouraged. Honestly, my patience is pretty organic and I think I do much better when I'm not reading about how I should be doing it. I mean, these pep talks are inspiring, but they also point out the long road ahead. The difficulty of the chosen path, I find, is best ignored. It's just easier when you don't dwell on the rough time you're having.
But, if you've reached a goal, then it's okay to acknowledge just how arduous it was to get there. Case in point: my query letter is probably the hardest thing I ever had to write, and now it's on display. It will probably be changed again soon, so it may be premature to reflect on all the difficulties involved. For now, let's just say I think people who can write good query letters should make careers out of writing them for other novelists so we can get back to our stories!
And also, I totally do all the great things listed here. I really do! Well, most of them...
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