Perseverance

Perseverance The steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragements.

Have you ever wondered what specific attribute you possess is the most important in becoming a successful writer? Is it your talent, education, time or money?

You may wish to consider the one specific attribute to becoming successful, Perseverance.

Yes, you must have talent, that's a given. You need to be committed to your writing. There will be many setbacks and discouragements on your journey, many talented writers get discouraged and quit before they complete a very sound creation.

The following is an excerpt from my story, Puzzle. In this story the protagonist faces the daunting task of assembling a puzzle when all the pieces are blank.

"Sifting through the pile I withdrew all the pieces that had a straight edge. Four of the two thousand pieces looked like corners; I laid them out on the board in a manner that marked a large rectangle about the same shape as the unmarked box. Some of the straight-edged pieces seemed to fit together. I attempted assembling the puzzle sides. Progress was slow. I saw the puzzle was cut by a machine where the characteristics of cutting them left the pieces with a top-side and a bottom-side. I flipped all the pieces over until all of them were arranged on the board top-side up. Becoming discouraged with the enormity of the task, I pushed back my chair, and paced the floor."

It is my belief that if you just do the daily work of writing, without the questions of will it be successful or not, or in the above example - how can I piece together a blank puzzle? - you will eventually reach your goal of having a publishable manuscript. This is called Perseverance. In my world, perseverance has been the number one contributor to having a successful writing career.

D.H.W.