How To Apply Deliberate Practice: The Strategy of Famous Writers

Mozart and the Question of Mastery

The first two decades of Mozart's legendary career weren't defined by musical breakthroughs and compositions seasoned by some mysterious divine spark. Instead, they followed “usual methods – copying, arranging, and imitating the works of others.”

His brilliance as a musician, according to author Geoff Colvin, has less to do with a fairy tale of extreme giftedness and more to do with elements that aren’t so lovely: a hard father who...