Why Talent Fails and Stubbornness Alone Wins in Writing—The Surprising Truth Revealed
Ever found yourself staring blankly at a blinking cursor, wondering if your brain is just playing a cruel prank? You’re not alone. Writing isn’t some magical spark of genius—it’s more like wrestling a wild octopus while blindfolded. We think about writing more than we actually write, and when we do, it often feels like dragging words from a swirling storm inside our heads. But here’s the kicker—writing isn’t about brilliance; it’s about stubbornness. Those who keep showing up, even when their words stink, are the real champions. So, if you’ve been waiting for inspiration to strike like lightning, maybe it’s time to flip the script and just keep hammering away stubbornly, because that’s where the real magic lives. Ready to stop fantasizing about being a “genius” and start acting like a determined scribbler? LEARN MORE
Oh So Clear
Writers keep writing
Writers are weird. We often spend more time thinking “I should be writing” than actually writing. More time reading about writing than writing. And when we actually sit down to write, we often end up just pretending to look thoughtful. And if in that moment someone dares to ask how the writing is going, we stare at them as if they had just slapped our grandmother on the butt mid-prayer.
Why is this so hard?! Well, duh. Of course it is. Writing is hard. You’re trying to extract coherent, meaningful sentences from the swirling chaos of your brain. It’s like trying to extract coherent appetizing meals out of the swirling chaos in your gut.
But even though it’s difficult, that’s no reason to despair. True, you don’t get to choose how hard something feels. But you do get to choose how hard you try. And once you realize this, writing — and life — becomes a lot more manageable.
Writing isn’t about being brilliant. It’s about being stubborn
Most writers aren’t geniuses. They’re just people who refuse to quit when the words don’t come easily. They’re the literary equivalent of a toddler who keeps trying to shove a crayon into grandpa’s ear — annoying, but undeniably persistent.
You see, I used to think successful writers had something I didn’t. That they sat down at their typewriters (or laptops, or stone tablets, whatever) and effortlessly channeled beautiful prose from the ether. Then I started reading interviews with actual published authors, and you know what I discovered? They all sound like broken records: “I write every day, even when I don’t feel like it.” “Most of what I write is garbage, but I keep going.” “The secret is just showing up.”
How disappointing. And how liberating!
Because if writing books, or blogs, or poems, or passionate grocery lists, or anything else, comes down to stubbornness rather than talent, that means it’s actually within reach for the rest of us mere mortals. You don’t need to be the next Moses (who probably also wrote sh*tty first drafts on his stone tablets). You just need to be more stubborn than your…
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