Summary

The article emphasizes that perseverance in writing is more about mental fortitude than writing habits or skill.

Abstract

The author of the article confesses to starting more pieces than they finish, often succumbing to frustration and self-doubt. They acknowledge that their struggle with consistent writing and recognition is not due to a lack of skill, as evidenced by their published work. Instead, the key to a successful writing career is perseverance, as highlighted by bestselling author Jeff Goins, who argues that the distinction between good and bad writers lies in their ability to keep going despite challenges. Successful writers are those who commit to their craft daily, rather than relying on sporadic inspiration. The author admits to sometimes waiting for their muse, despite advising others against it, and describes the varying degrees of writing days, from highly inspirational to the more common, less inspired ones. The article suggests that perseverance is a mind game, involving self-talk, self-perception, and the ability to accept that not all started pieces need to be finished. It concludes that perseverance in writing is about regularly writing despite mental barriers and understanding that there is no quick path to resonating with readers.

Opinions

The author believes that talent and skill are not the primary factors in writing success; instead, perseverance is key.
Successful writers are characterized by their commitment to writing regularly, not just when inspired.
The author criticizes their own tendency to wait for inspiration, despite knowing that consistent effort is more productive.
The concept of perseverance is internal and mental, rather than external and habitual.
The author suggests that it's okay not to finish every piece started, as this doesn't necessarily reflect one's abilities or potential.
Perseverance involves battling negative self-talk and self-doubt to continue writing, even when it feels like a struggle.
The author implies that there is a deeper, more personal connection with readers that can only be achieved through persistent writing and self-reflection.

Perseverance is a Mind Game You Need To Learn to Play

Perseverance for writers is more about the mind than writing habits.

I have a confession to make. I start far more pieces than I finish writing. What’s worse I don’t even try to finish most of these. I get frustrated, shove the laptop away from me, sometimes forcefully, say something self sabotaging like, “Another piece of cr*p. I don’t know why I pretend I’m a writer. I don’t know why I even try.”

But the reality is that my inability to write as consistently as I want and make a name for myself has little to do with whether or not I can write. I know I have a certain amount of talent and skill and have at least some external validation in the form of writing published in literary journals to attest to this. And while many might believe otherwise, it actually doesn’t take a ton of either of these things to succeed at being a writer. I know that sounds antithetical to success but there you have it.

According to many writing coaches and authors, creating a successful writing career is all about perseverance. As best selling author Jeff Goins puts it:

“The difference between good writers and bad writers has little to do with skill. It has to do with perseverance. Bad writers quit. Good writers keep going. That’s all there is to it.”

The other thing that successful writers will tell you is that those writers who make it are those who are committed to their craft, who show up and do the work day in and day out as opposed to writing in bursts of inspiration.

I have another confession. For all my writing advice telling you not to wait for your muse to show up before you write since this means you won’t be writing most of the time, I’m sitting right next to you in the same boat.

Not that there aren’t days when said muse shows up which are incredible. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Those days when you get struck with a great idea and your writing flows and just works are like magic. There are no obstacles that get in the way, the piece develops logically without jumping topics, I don’t hit a wall and have no idea where I’m going or what I’m trying to say, and while some minor editing is needed as always, it doesn’t have to be completely reorganized or restructured. Yet, if I have one or two of these days in a month, I consider the month a success.

Other days I get decent ideas for stories that can be written but which I can’t say inspire me. The information is useful, I think that there are a number of readers who will find the article interesting and I think I can put enough of a different spin on it so that it’s not simply rehashing the same information that is in 100 other articles. These days are fine and I finish them feeling, if not exactly elated, then at least satisfied with the days work. I may have one or two of these days in a week.

Then there are the rest of the days which are like pulling teeth. I get up ready for an inspirational day, convinced that will be the day I have some kind of life changing break through. I start to read other articles written by those I follow and others I come across waiting for my muse to show up for work. I may even incorrectly believe that my muse has, in fact, arrived, as something I have read sparks AN IDEA.

This is in all caps, because AN IDEA as opposed to an idea, is something that will make for a great post that everyone wants to read. I wouldn’t equate it with the viral post because (here my egotistical side comes out), that’s just about how many people you can get to like and share your work not necessarily whether or not it’s any good or is making an impact. (I likely am being a snob about this .since I’ve never actually managed to write a viral post!) An idea, in lowercase, is one that falls in the second category mentioned above, a sensible, solid topic to write about.

I start to write, and the first and maybe even the second paragraph goes pretty well. Maybe I’m moving along at a good clip, fooled into thinking I’ve got a first category article on my hands. Then there’s a niggling itch that starts in the back of my mind.

“No, no!” I shout to myself. “Just keep going! If you just keep going you’ll be fine!

And I try, I really do. But once that annoying feeling starts in my brain, much as I try to ignore it, I know the post is not going to make it. And sure enough, before long, I hit a brick wall.

Cue the self recrimination, negative self-talk, self-statements telling myself that I’m worthless as far as being a writer goes. At this point, as I thought it was a first category type of day, have my sites set on a first category type of day, I’m not willing to settle for a second category day though these topics are easy enough to come up with in a pinch. They may not make me rich or famous but they would be solid articles. And if I can get through one, at least I’ll end the day with satisfaction if not elation. For me, this is where perseverance comes in. Perseverance is what determines whether I do or not.

I think we often miss a large part of what perseverance means for us as writers This is because for most of us, our failure to write isn’t mainly about laziness or establishing the proper writing habits which many advice articles would have you believe. For us perseverance is a mind game. It’s about what we tell ourselves regarding our writing process, how we view ourselves and our efforts and what we believe our writing frequency, or acceptance rates or earnings amounts or ability to finish what we start say about whether we’re even cut out to be writers.

For me, a major part of this mind game is accepting that not everything I start needs to be finished. It means accepting that not finishing something doesn’t mean I’m lazy, unskilled or lacking in promise, incapable of coming up with good ideas or of writing about them in ways that make people want to read what I have to say. Not finishing what I start writing also isn’t automatically a waste of time. It helps me better determine what might be worth writing about for publication. If nothing else, it helps me warm up my writing voice for the day.

Perseverance means continuing to write regularly despite what is going on in my mind. It means not giving up even though I only have one inspirational day in thirty even when this feels like that one day must be a fluke. Most importantly, perseverance is understanding that there is no short path to finding what it is I have locked inside that will make readers connect with me and what I have to say.

In order to succeed in establishing a writing life we have to persevere and persist. But first we have to come to understand that perseverance begins as a battle for control of our thoughts our attributions and our emotions before it can become about control of our writing habits. The ultimate test of perseverance however, is finding a way through the darkness created by our thoughts and feelings to be able to write even on the days we can’t seem to win this battle.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +439,678 people.

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