"Many people assume they are bad at writing because it is hard. This is like assuming you are bad at weightlifting because the weight is heavy. Writing is useful because it is hard. It's the effort that goes into writing a clear sentence that leads to better thinking." ~ James Clear, author Atomic Habits
"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all." ~ Sam Ewing, author The Cat Who Loved Christmas
E is for Effort
The writers at Inscribe
agree: writing is hard work and effort can trump talent.
There is hope and reality in that axiom. For those who aren’t afraid of hard work it means that one talent people don’t have to be limited or inferior to the multi-talented. And for those who are multi-talented it is a caution sign that no amount of talent can supersede effort. Natural ability won’t automatically generate success.
In writing, professional sports, entrepreneurial business, politics, or any endeavour, hard work will always beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
Just Do It
My boss reminds our team that not every endeavour will result in success but at least make it look like you tried.
Success is never an accident. It takes effort, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Unless your experience is unique, sustained efforts most often lead to success. Efforts like editing.
Writers know edits are worth the effort. Dr Seuss got it right and said it well, “The writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
Nancy Kress, a science fiction writer, explores the gravity of effort:
Write.
Just do it.
Then again.
Then some more.
And more.
Do not wait for inspiration.
If you do enough of it often enough, inspiration will eventually come.
Most of us love Cinderella stories about writers who turned into overnight sensations. We love the idea of selling a lot of books without working too hard, but we fail to acknowledge that overnight successes usually don’t happen overnight.
Success takes significant effort.
What does “just do it” mean to you? Please make the effort to leave a comment after you read the following quotes.
10 Quotes Worth The Effort to Read
1. “At the end of the day, you can't control the results; you can only control your effort level and your focus.” ~ Ben Zobrist, former MLB Player, 2-time World Champion with the Chicago Cubs and KC Royals
2. “If a task is once begun, never leave it till it’s done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all.” ~ Anon
3. “Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” ~ Jane Yolen, author of over 400 books for children and adults
4. “Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” ~ Winston Churchill, author of 43 books including Savrola
5. “If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.” ~ Charles Bukowski, authored 40 works of poetry, prose, and novels
6. “Great is the art of beginning but greater the art is of ending.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author, poet (I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day)
7. “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” ~ Anne Lamott (no bio needed)
8. “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” ~ Elbert Hubbard, author of A Message to Garcia (1899)
9. “Writing is not a matter of inspiration except for your initial idea. Writing is a matter of sitting down and doing it. And you have to do a lot of it to get publishable. If you want to write, you write. Talent is simply not enough.” ~ Nancy Kress, science fiction writer
10. “I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” ~ Pearl S. Buck, Pulitzer Prize winner for The Good Earth
Bob Jones writes
to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and
discover their life purpose.
Follow his writing at REVwords.com
