"However great a man's natural talent may be,
the art of writing cannot be learned all at once."
~ Jean Jacques Rousseau
There are two responses to this quote...
It Energizes You
When you read Rousseau's quote, there's a loud "YES" rising up from your gut because it validates the writing journey you travel. You know you haven't arrived, but there's still a chance of arriving at your writerly destination.
You, my friend, are a writerly optimist.
It Depresses the Boogie-Woogie Out of You
On the flip side, this quote can knock the air out of some writers. Why? Because some writers (most often those new to the game) want instant publication. They want to know and master all the writing rules right now, and when that doesn't happen, they're frustrated.
This is an example of a writerly pessimist.
Where do you pitch your tent? Can you tell I'm in the energizer bunny camp?
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7 comments:
Great quote, Michelle! I'm a optimist like you. I used to think I knew it all, but the more I've learned about the writing craft, the more I've come to realize, I've only scratched the surface. ;-)
Somehow that doesn't surprise me one bit!
Yes, every waiting/rejection/acceptance cycle makes us stronger writers. I'm finally starting to accept this, though I hate the process. I can look back at my early stuff and see that I didn't have a good grasp of how to write for the CBA. I thought it made me untainted somehow...instead, it just made me unmarketable!
But most of the time, you'll find I'm a little "Marshwiggly" about things...expecting things to go wrong so I'll be ready for them. Then nice things are a pleasant surprise!
I'm definitely an optimist, however, if someone had told me when I was beginning my writing journey that it would take as long as it has, I wonder if I would have begun. It's hard to know. Now, there is no way I could stop. I have more stories in my head than I can get out!
Of course, not everyone's journey to publication is as long as mine has been. :o\
Heather ~ I just might have to steal Marshwiggly...love it!
Ane ~ Even if you'd have known how long it would've taken you to get published, I don't think there's any chance you still wouldn't have started writing. You hear voices, remember?
It's okay, Michelle--I just PLUNDERED some of your Viking pics over on Pinterest! (And I followed that chick who has like 100 Viking-ish pics! Cool!)
Yeah, wasn't that a great find?!
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