Make it Happen

My husband and oldest son love riding dirt bikes together. They'll take off on our local trails, ride for hours, and return home sweaty, dirty, and exhausted.

But darn it, our son outgrew his dirt bike. We prepared to sell his bike and use that money for something bigger, but our son also wanted something a bit newer (fuel-injected...go figure). He's willing to pay the difference so he approached us with a plan, received our approval, and now he's on the path to earning money for the bike he wants.

I was truly impressed by our son. He didn't complain about what he couldn't have--he knew what he wanted and is in the process of making it happen. He printed up "business cards" and delivered them to our country neighbors. He's secured jobs feeding horses, chopping wood, and watching a couple's home while they went on vacation. With our guidance, he sold old gaming systems and other unused stuff on Craig's List.

His situation reminded me of determined writers. We can't worry about where we aren't, or what we haven't accomplished yet. We have the power to make it happen if we're resilient, remain open to learning, and continue working hard.

We write the material.

We revise.

We have our work critiqued.

We send it out to agents and editors.

We endure rejections.

We revise again.

We rejoice in steps forward.

Some writers are bravely plunging in to self-publishing, and we're cheering them on. Each accomplishment is savored and appreciated because we made it happen. And our successes are that much sweeter because of our hard work.

When our son finally buys that newer dirt bike, he'll experience the pride of earning the money and making it happen. Not a bad lesson for teens and writers, huh?

Do you savor your accomplishments as much as you should? What steps do you take to reach your own writing goals? Please share!

And thanks to everyone who entered the 1,000-word critique giveaway. The luck winner is...Jenn! Congratulations, Jenn! I'll connect you with the generous ladies at The Bookshelf Muse.

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Talent vs. Hard Work

Terri Guiliano Long wrote a wonderful post that really resonated with me. If you haven't read it yet, I strongly urge you to jump over and read Why Work Matters More Than Talent.

*elevator music plays*

In summary, she asks these questions:

1. What is talent, anyway?
2. If we can't define talent, how can we possibly know if we have it?

She makes an excellent point that with writing, we control how hard we work. We each have varying levels of talent, and yet it's the hard work that makes the biggest difference. An incredibly talented writer won't get very far if she fails to produce pages or improve her skills. Likewise, a s0-so writer can work hard, learn new things every day, and spring ahead. I find that comforting.

It's fair to say that most of us probably have days when we feel like talentless hacks. (Or is that just me?) Feeling that way on one day doesn't mean we don't have talent. It just means we're having an off day. We have the choice to either quit or keep working, and I know most of us choose to keep working.

Long quotes Stephen King's yardstick for talent--"you wrote something for which someone sent you a check...you cashed the check and it didn't bounce." Even if you've never received money for your writing, have you improved with each piece you've written? Has an online magazine published your work? Has an agent requested a partial or full? Doesn't this prove you have talent?

We can't control what other people think of our words, but thankfully we're blessed with the opportunity to nurture our talent through hard work.

If you read Long's post, were you inspired? And what's your opinion on talent vs. hard work? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And if you need additional inspiration, be sure to read Tahereh Mafi's post Don't Be Afraid to Write a Bad Book. It's amazing.

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