A group of people who had survived a severe injury were asked the following question. I have found their answers to be very pertinent to my writing journey, as well as life in general. The question: What are your strengths and how have they helped you?
Tenacity. The ability to hang in there, never give up, never take no for an answer. Being stubborn.
This one really hits home for me. I'll admit, I was a bit low on motivation the day I saw these answers. They inspired me to start blogging about the topic- after all, these are pointers from people who have been through some terrible things. Their answers have the ring of truth that I was needing. It was only a couple of days later that I attended Kim Harrison's book signing. One of the first things she talked about was the tenacity it takes to be a writer. In fact she used that word several times that evening, and each time it resonated with me.
I like to believe that those of us who face hardships, but hang in there and just keep trying will go farther than those who have some sort of advantage, but sit back and wait for that to take them places. In every thing in life (not just writing), every time you fail you learn something you didn't know before. And that just puts you one step closer to your goal.
This has always been great advice, Kaye. It reminds me of that old adage, "Winners never quit and quitters never win". Then again, another one of my favorites is, "There's no such thing as trying, you either do or you don't".
ReplyDeleteA blank sheet of paper (or screen) isn't a writer's biggest obstacle; it's the motivation!
Very true!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by :)