So a funny thing happened this month.. I was listening to an audio book completely unrelated to writing (or so I thought) and ended up deciding that it worked rather well as, if not a review of the craft, at least a commentary on the life of a would-be writer.
The book in question is John C. Maxwell’s Talent Is Never Enough. I picked it up as something to make me for effective in my day job (as a mild-mannered IT manager), but as I listened along, I was struck at how well the lessons mapped to writing (and, larger, life in general).
Some key points that Maxwell emphasizes:
- Don’t focus on strengthening your weaknesses – spend that time instead on your strengths.
Eric extrapolates: To be a successful writer, you have to be well-rounded. You need to know dialog, plot, character, etc. However, if you are especially strong at characterization but weak at plotting, focus on character.
- The choices you make creates the effectiveness for turning talents into results.
Eric extrapolates: I see this every day, in the choices I make. It’s always easy to choose not to write… there’s always games to play, books to read, TV to watch. Other, seemingly more interesting, things to do. But by choosing to write, by choosing to spend my limited resources (time) on the craft, I am making myself more effective as a writer, and thus increasing the odds of publication.
- The key choices you make, apart from your natural talent, will set you apart from those that have talent alone.
Eric extrapolates: Bottom line – talent alone is not enough.
Maxwell further breaks this down into what he considers the 13 key choices a person can make to maximize their talent. My commentary follows each.
- Belief lifts your talent.
Before you can make something happen, you have to believe in it. The mind must go first. Besides – if you don’t believe you can do something, why do you bother? It only amounts to a lot of thrashing about, wasting energy. I am a firm believer in the power of dreams. Let yourself see the dream. Run your tongue across it. Breathe deeply of it. Believe it will happen.
- Passion energizes your talent.
Here’s a gut check for you: think about your current work in progress. Are you excited about it? If not – why? Wrong genre, flat characters, uninspired plot? Get to the root of why you are writing this story (or, larger, why you are writing at all). Find the passion, corral it, then let it loose onto the page. If you’re not excited about what you’re creating, how do you expect me, the reader, to be?
- Initiative activates your talent.
Are you sitting back, dreaming about what it is to be a writer? A certain amount of that is okay – it’s important to find motivation where you can. But, do you go beyond thinking and get to doing? Take the initiative to get moving.
- Focus directs your talent.
How many projects do you have running concurrently? While it’s probably okay to have a few projects running in different states – rough first draft, second revision, final polish – the more you divert your attention, the less you accomplish. This is a big struggle for me – I tend to have lots of balls in the air, which means I make little progress on any one thing. As Bruce Lee put it – “It’s not the daily increase, but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”
- Preparation positions your talent.
The easy comparison here is outlining, which I don’t do. So for the outliners, there you go. For those like myself (the stumblers), this looks a little different. Character sketches. If or What Else exercises. Often times, much of my first draft is an exercise in preparing for the real deal – finding voice, discovering character, etc.
- Practice sharpens your talent.
In my opinion, very little attention is paid to practicing the craft itself. We just want to jump in and create something. Why waste effort practicing when we can create something? Writing is the only art form I can think of where practice is so readily ignored. But there is much to be gained from approaching something – situation, character, dialog – in a focused, bite-sized chunk and not being distracted with other, related, things.
- Perseverance sustains your talent.
It is perseverance, not talent, that is the most-touted virtue of professional writers, followed by luck. Talent is a distant third. To me, this is encouragement – if you work hard and stick with it, eventually, you should make it (where luck comes in).
- Courage tests your talent.
Writing is the most difficult thing I’ve ever attempted. Just getting my butt in the chair some days is tough. I end up playing mental games, psyching myself out to just get started, because I know that starting is the hard part. Once I’ve committed to it, sticking with it is easy (that’s not to say I don’t get distracted sometimes). In these moments of quiet struggle, it is courage that gets me writing. Courage that I have talent, that I can make it. That I’m not just wasting my time.
- Teach-ability expands your talent.
It’s often said that the act of teaching is a good learning tool for the teacher, reinforcing key foundational concepts and providing opportunities for newer, deeper understanding (of course, the inverse is - those that can’t do, teach). While I haven’t tried to teach a write course, I have seen some of this come into play in forums I participate in, critiques of other people’s work, and even with this blog.
- Character protects your talent.
There are no shortcuts in life, or in writing. Don’t think you can copy someone else’s work and get away with it. It will eventually catch up with you. That whole karma thing.
- Relationships influence your talent.
Like every other profession, having the right relationships can help you go a long way in your writing career. It is definitely a case of ‘who you know’. Editors, Pros, Agents. It’s important not only to get your name out there, but make sure it’s in the right context. It won’t help your career if everyone thinks you’re a insufferable jerk.
- Responsibility strengthens your talent.
Writing is a job, just like any other. If you’re like me, it’s an unpaid job, but you still need to put in the time. Be responsible. Set a schedule, and show up ready to work. That’s the only way you will ever make any headway.
- Teamwork multiplies your talent.
Even in such a lonely profession as writing, if you make it into print, you do so with the help of others. Sure – they’re you words, but they’ve been scoured and scrubbed by others. Sure – you have a nice contract, but your agent took care of the negotiating. And don’t forget your family, who put up with your crazy writing schedule and gave you space when you needed to work.
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