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“Unlocking the Secret: Why Your Sweat Equity May Not Be Enough to Elevate Your Writing”

"Unlocking the Secret: Why Your Sweat Equity May Not Be Enough to Elevate Your Writing"

Have you ever found yourself staring blankly at your manuscript, feeling like you’d rather be doing… well, just about anything else? Perhaps you’d even consider a career in geology—after all, by the time you finish your epic novel, the rocks you’d be studying might just be a tad younger than your draft! If you’ve felt that pang of frustration, you’re certainly not alone. History is littered with literary giants who took ages to craft their masterpieces—think Tolkien and Hugo, who had their works in the oven for years or even decades. But does that mean we mere mortals must conform to similar timelines? Not necessarily! In this lively exploration, I’ll unveil some astonishing literary speedsters who completed their works in record time, leaving us all to ponder: does quality truly take time, or can brilliance strike like a bolt of lightning? Buckle up, because this might just change your writing game! LEARN MORE.

Or why your manuscript shouldn’t be old enough to vote

Image by the author 🙂

Every writer has, a some point, stared at their manuscript and thought, Oh man… I should’ve been a geologist instead. By the time I finish this, I’ll be older than the rocks I would’ve studied.

And if you’re basing your writing expectations on literary history, you may be right. Some of the greatest writers of all time took years, even decades, to complete their work. Here, take a look at the literary slowpokes Hall of Fame:

From these examples, one might assume that producing a masterpiece has to take years, if not entire lifetimes. But that’s not so.

The speed demons that make the rest of us look bad

Before we get too relaxed with our writing progress, we should look beyond the legendary slowpokes. Because, you see, not everyone writes as slow as if their toddler was repeatedly pressing the power button “to help.” There are literary speed demons who make the rest of us look like we’re typing with both hands stuck in Pringles cans:

  • Robert Louis Stevenson allegedly wrote Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde over the course of a 6-day coke binge—which, of course, makes total sense given the book.
  • John Boyne wrote The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in just two and a half days — which raises the obvious question “What the heck was he on and can I have some?!”

Clearly, the time invested in a piece doesn’t automatically guarantee its success. (Though, to be fair, the amount of stimulants consumed might…) So although the fact that great things can be accomplished in a short time is great news for procrastinators everywhere, it’s utterly crushing news for those of us who’ve been leaning on the “quality takes time” excuse to dodge deadlines since 2003.

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