A few days ago I was at an SCBWI Tokyo event for children’s book writers, and heard this really exceptional quote from Alvina Ling, Senior Editor at the Little, Brown and Company publishing house:
“Published authors aren’t necessarily the best writers – just the ones who didn’t quit.”
That really struck a chord with me, as everything I’ve been working on for the last year has been to support my goal of becoming a published author.
This event came right after I returned from Nagoya, a few days after I finished reading Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell. I don’t agree with everything he says, but one exceptional point that he raises (and that I’ve heard somewhere before) is that the elite in any field, whether it be music, sports, business, or writing, have spent an average of 10,000 hours honing their craft.
10,000 hours.
Seems like a huge number, doesn’t it? That’s three hours of writing, everyday, for the next 9.1 years. Daunted yet? I’d be a bald-faced lier if I said I wasn’t.
What’s encouraging is that you, like me, probably already have quite a few hours under your belt. This is simply a reminder of the importance of writing and honing your craft every single day. And, most importantly, never giving up.
Hrm, seems like I’ve heard that before….
Hey! were you on television Friday?!
Anyway, I hope the writing is going well.:)
Yeah, the agency I’m registered with calls me occasionally for work like that. It’s fun to do every once in a while, but I wouldn’t want it to be my vocation.
Writing’s going well, but slowly, since it doesn’t pay the bills yet. 😉