How Important Is Talent to You as a Writer?
Picture the field of writing as a professional sports team. Almost every team has one standout, superstar talent.
The rest of the team is aware that he is the best, sometimes lightyears ahead of the rest in natural ability, gifted with all the tools to effortlessly excel and eventually land in the Hall of Fame.
They watch out of the corners of their eyes when he practices. They swap stories about his legendary exploits during games.
The rest of the team is made up of fabulous athletes. Some could be superstar Hall of Famers if they weren’t lazy, didn’t have bad attitudes, or hadn’t suffered injuries.
Others are just good but not great. They are professionals too, after all, and better than any amateur.
Then there are those journeymen who simply love the game so much that they will not be denied. They learn its history, its intricacies, its every rule and strategy. And they have given themselves to fulfilling every last ounce of their potential, regardless their limitations.
They are also the ones who, when the fates allow, rise to the occasion and show streaks of brilliance, performing like those superstars.These are the ones who so revere the game that they become coaches and scouts and analysts when their playing days are over.
Every once in a great while, a gifted superstar gives himself to the game as selflessly as one of these journeymen. He works as hard as one who is not naturally gifted, making himself even that much better. And that’s where legends come from, like Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and Willie Mays.
It’s the same with writers.
I’d love to be a superstar like Rick Bragg or J.K. Rowling.
I am a journeyman.
Without major work, I’d never have gotten where I am today. Throughout my career I’ve:
Rigorously studied hundreds of books on writing
Hit a lot of singles and doubles before I hit a home-run
Spent thousands of hours at writers conferences, learning when I was not teaching
And only after all this did I find the success I’ve enjoyed for the past three decades or so.
You might bring superstar talent to this game. Or you might be a journeyman like me. Regardless where you start, your work ethic will determine your success.
Who are you as a writer, and what are you willing to invest in your dream?
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