“You will be published if you possess three qualities – talent, passion, and discipline.
You will probably be published if you possess two of the three qualities in either combination – either talent and discipline, or passion and discipline.
You will likely be published if you possess neither talent nor passion, but still have discipline. Just go the bookstore and pick up a few ‘notable’ titles and you’ll see what I mean.
But if all you possess is talent or passion, if all you possess is talent and passion, you will not be published. The likelihood is you will never be published. And if by some miracle you are published, it will probably never happen again.”
This is very encouraging because:
Nine times out of ten Discipline is NOT the problem.
We already have all the discipline we need. And THAT is the problem. The very thing that allows us to write at all – the discipline and the time management – gets in the way when it is time to write. Because now here you are, in your allotted time slot: the kids are taken care of; the chores are done; you’ve got a break from your paying job.
And nothing is coming out of your fingers. And since nothing is happening, it all seems just useless. So, we might as well do Something that is productive, since we all are productive people. At this point, we check the Email. Or we put in a load of laundry. We can at least get that Done.
We need to get out of the “time management” and “work habits” paradigm and Do Nothing. Or, as the famous saying goes:
Don’t just Do something, Sit there!
Give yourself permission to Write Badly. Write anything. Good sentences, bad sentences. Un-sentences. Anything. If you don’t write the dribble, you won’t be able to occasionally write the good stuff.
photo from iStockphoto.com #000003537940
I’ve been very slow to embrace a daily word count, because I also wanted those words to be perfect, and they never were; but of late, keeping that commitment has been my way of feeling like I’m doing something, even though it’s probably nothing. I have to say I’m surprised by how often I get a few good things, even when least inspired.
Jan – I think there is some magic in just writing down ANYTHING. I have often been surprised by what my fingers say. And, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as good writing, just good re-writing.
I clicked on comments, then typed this in the Box that says “Post a Comment”. Then I clicked on “Post Comment”. Seems easy enough.
BUT then I realized they want me to post a comment with some form of ID, so I clicked on Google account in the drop down list, since I have a Google account, and P o o f, up opened a sign in box, and here I am adding this extra material after clicking on the now available “edit” choice.
OK, so now I’m going to hit “Post comment” again, and…. Oh, and then they want me to type in the word verification so I can proove I’m not a robot. So, third try at “Post Comment”…
And now I am a published author. How cool is that.
The tricky step to becoming a published commentator is that you have to have one of the 6 profiles from the “select profile” drop down list. If not, you have to establish one of those IDs. The simplest is probably to get a Google ID. This allows the comment software to put in the RED lettering in the comment header, which in my case says Rolf, and then you know Rolf made the comment, and he can’t sneak up on you and post as Mary tomorrow and toy with your mind.
This is tough on shy people, because when you click on the header- go ahead, click on Rolf- all of my most personal information is revealed for all to see.
Oh I don’t know. I think Rolf-posting-as-Mary would be an excellent trick.
Hmmm, now I’m waiting for Mary to show up . . .