Last night’s keynote speaker at “summer camp” was New York Times best selling author Joseph Finder (High Crimes, The Moscow Club, and most recent, Buried Secrets). He was funny and entertaining. He’s had a stunning career. He told us a lot about how he knew he was a writer and the research and writing process he uses.
For me, the most valuable information came during the Q&A at the end. The question posed was:”What advice do you have for new writers?” His answer was:
“Be stubborn and learn from rejection.”
Then, today, I attended my second class with The Book Doctors. This class was about finding agents and publishers. Again, the most valuable piece of information I got was again in the Q&A:
“You evolve as you persevere.”
All very important messages to an unknown trying to make it in an artist’s world. The Book Doctors told us that the reason 90% of writers don’t make it is because they gave up – not because their work isn’t any good.
You have to try, and try again, and sometimes you even have to try a different road – just as long as you keep trying. It’s the process that grows and changes and betters and reworks the artist as he/she grows and changes and betters and reworks his/her projects. A writer may have to try a new genre. A musician may have to try writing a different kind of music. An artist may have to experiment with new media.
When I think about it, perseverance is the key in everything we battle in life. In times of frustration we may need to be still and listen. When we finally hear, we may have to decide to change course. When we change course, we change ourselves ever so slightly, until we hit another plateau and we begin again. “You evolve as you persevere.”
And so, as the second day of “summer camp” goes by, I resolve to be “stubborn and learn from rejection” so that I may “evolve as I persevere”, and….I have written.
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