31 of 57

Effort

Write now Article Tools

I remember hearing a successful musician being interviewed and he was asked whether the key to his band's success had been inspiration or effort. His response was that success had been 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. We could argue about the percentages but the same principle holds whether we are talking about musicians, writers or, indeed, pretty much any endeavour that a person might choose to embark upon. If you are an entrepreneur, having that spark of inspiration for a new product is vital but to get that product to market and then achieve a profit will take a whole lot more time and effort. This analogy works equally well for a writer who wants to become a novelist.

Let's take the example of a novel to expand upon the premise that effort is more important than insight. At the outset, I want to make it clear that no-one doubts that inspiration plays a vital role in the creation of a quality novel. Great writers, such as Philip Pullman, Stephen King, Douglas Coupland, etc, undoubtedly have a surfeit of insight and inspiration and this enables them to write novels that stand out from the masses of competing books that populate book store shelves. However, coming up with a great story idea or an innovative plot is useless unless the writer has the discipline to sit down day after day and type out thousands of words to turn their initial inspiration into something that is material and which can earn them a living.

The aspects of writing that rely on insight are the glamorous part of writing. They are what make us wish that we could give up the day job and live the life of a writer. What most of us don't see is the unglamorous side. Authors frequently talk about the sacrifices that they have to make to indulge their chosen profession. They give up going out at the weekend, or spending time with their kids. Whilst the writing process is ongoing, they may become grumpy virtual recluses with heavy bags under their eyes and possessed by an alarming addition to coffee! That's not to say that the process of writing can't be fun. Terry Pratchett once commented that writing is the most fun thing that you can do on your own. However, it's not always fun and there are countless times when writers have to force themselves to persist, even though all they really want to do is chuck their half-completed script in the bin.

Another indication of the importance of effort is the number of would-be-writers who believe that they have a novel within them but have never

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Do great writers rely more on effort or insight??
We want to hear your view. Write now!