by E. R. S.

Created on: December 21, 2008

I do not believe it's possible to be a great writer without effort. Effort is necessary to be even a passing writer, without effort you won't even get anything down on the paper. What gives that extra push however, what makes a writer truly influential, is insight, and I feel that is what good writers count on more than effort.

All great writers have something in common: they observe. They look at the world around them and draw material from even the most seemingly mundane of occurences. Some of the greatest pieces of our time have been reflections of people's behavior or current events. Look at Orwell's 1984, for example, or Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five - even Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a product of insight, though possible more insight into the author himself. Whether it's insight into political events, world events or yourself, insight always makes a book or article more interesting and intriguing.

Great writing always involves relating to the reader in some way. This cannot be done without insight. In order to write well you have to be able to appeal to your reader, to understand some little piece of them and convey that in your writing.

It becomes a paradox, however, because no matter how much insight you have it can't be conveyed well without effort. You have to be able to take that insight you have and structure it and organize it in a coherent way, and if you can't do that it won't be understood. Still, no matter how much effort you put into a piece, it won't be worth much without some insight.

I think if I had to choose between having more insight and putting in less effort, or putting in more effort and having less insight, I'd rather have more insight. If I have more insight, I automatically have more material ,and therefore I have to put in less effort. The downside to this is that you can choose the amount of effort you put in, but insight is more of a talent - which explains the phrase "Write what you know" - that almost guarantees you will have some insight into the subject. For example, I would not write about parenting. I have no insight into that, I am not a parent. I also wouldn't write about gardening - as the only insight into gardening I have is I planted a few tomato plants with my grandfather when I was young. You have to write about something you not only know, but have a unique viewpoint on as well.

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