I really appreciate this. Writing my first novel took four years. Finding the voice took two years of that, and then I had to go back and rewrite everything. Now I'm working on the second novel :)
It seems like people with natural talent do things by instinct, and don't often understand the mechanics behind what makes their work good. This makes them bad at teaching and it may make it difficult for them to repeat success (their first story felt inspired and flowed out of them effortlessly; they get a good idea for a second, very different kind of story, and suddenly it isn't working). Struggling to learn is the real path to fully understanding a thing.
I think you're right. When you think about it in terms of repeated success, being really talented is sometimes a worse place to start from. This has me thinking in a different way about those people who write one spectacular novel and then nothing again
Muggsy Bogues was a 5'3 basketball player known for his speed who scored a total of 106 3pt baskets over the course of his career. He seems to have been known for his speed and ability to steal the ball, which probably came from the fact he was smaller than his competitors, meaning he leaned into what he was already good at. while his total of long range shots made is not the highest, *he still made 106 of them*. important things to think about.
I felt the jock thing. Freshman year I tried out for the baseball team but the coach running the thing had some unidentifiable problem with me (seriously, snide comments after EVERYTHING I did, and no one else). Obviously I didn't make the team. For the next three years in PE classes, whenever we played softball or baseball or the sort of indoor baseball we played when it was raining, and I had five baseball players in the class, I was the only one hitting home runs and making the reflexive outs, even over the team captain. I won a state championship and olympic medal in racquetball at multiple levels. I set a couple of records for my track team. That meathead coach (he was a former Yankee, and talked like the most stereotypical New Yorker you can imagine) didn't want me for whatever reason and the spite fueled me all the way through college. I love jock tears, too. Anyway, I'm bringing the same attitude to writing, fighting against the trad gatekeepers.
It's interesting how the perception of what one should be able to achieve is different for different mediums. My instinct says that people believe the ability to do visual art is even more reliant on talent than writing, which is sad because it causes a lot of people to not even try. But then, because fiction is so accessible, people seem to think their first attempt at a novel is going to be pro-grade, and no one would think that of their first drawing, and then that gets people discouraged and quitting. There's a video in that...
Not only do we get to perfect it in private, but if we DO release it and it turns out it's less than stellar... If it's self published, we can correct mistakes as needed. And yes... you are speaking to other crazy people (me, at least). Also: through spite, all things are possible. That's how I managed to publish two things this year, and have more in the pipeline.
I'm 6'4" and stocky and various groups tried to get me into various sports, but on some fundamental level I lack the "fierce competition" center of my brain. Playing for FUN was where I excelled, and the second it was "win OR ELSE", I failed hard. Looking at the last five years, the same went for writing. That's what I'm currently training myself up for right now.
I first considered becoming a writer in 6th grade, having gotten an A on a writing assignment. At that point, I felt I was in the "talented" category. I was also a kid who had no grit or follow-through. I didn't understand the growth mentality, so I quit writing. I had high expectations with little grounding me back then. Why did I come back to it over 20 years later? Some stories have haunted me and followed me through my entire life. I think, more than anything, I'd like to see them written to release some inner demons and ghosts.
I feel this. I don't get embarrassed and discouraged as easily anymore, but instead I've replaced it with a constant fight to not feel a sense of loss of what I could have accomplished if I'd had more grit as a young person. I'm glad you're back with new perspective
Very encouraging, as always. I'm curious about the professor in the comment, though. I wonder if it was Robert Oren Butler, author of FROM WHERE YOU DREAM. I don't know how many of you have read it, but even though the writing advice is excellent (anchor your language in bodily experiences, write your journal as scenes instead of musings), I'd never want to be in his class. He tore his students' examples to shreds! That's great for readers to learn from, but it was probably hellish to experience. So if he regretted that, I respect him more for it.
Paul said the video is from the "Film Courage channel with an LA-based professor". Problem is that channel has about 6000 videos! So The examples you gave are definitely what I think of as the low-hanging fruit that produces the biggest return, making anyone's writing seem next level. So even if he's not the professor, he's giving the same advice to get his students on the same solid footing. I really don't like a brutal critique style. In my mind, it can all be true, but why are you saying it if the person is so defensive they won't listen to it? And as the receiver, you should probably be defensive. If a person doesn't like anything you did, it's likely they aren't trying to help you tell YOUR story. I don't know if that applies to him, but that's what I think in general.
I appreciate that you give credence to both grit and talent, yet also acknowledging one is greater than the other. Simple logic dictates, and for the story of your MFA years, proves that without the care to work nothing will be done. Yet, with both grit and talent it is possible to achive more together. And I am a proponent to talent being achived, just as that comment's story proved about the professor and his classes. As an educator myself (substitute teacher and college tutor) I have seen how students grow, but also evolve. How they entirely change due to careful, critical thought and being more analytical in their approach to learning. Nonetheless, thank you once again for a fantastic and insightful video! I alwasy like to watch them before I start my writting sessions and they never cease to provide a good jolt of motivation to start!
Thank you for such kind words! At the very highest, highest levels of any endeavor, I think you find people who have both a lot of natural talent and a lot of grit. But I think there's so much more room beneath that ceiling than most people give credence, and I think it's also kind of impossible to know what your personal ceiling is. Especially in writing, where people get better just by getting older. The good news is, while sometimes passion for consuming the medium is enough to get a person started at creating it, usually it's some degree of natural talent that makes a person serious about it, and then they can build from there
I believe if you don't have at least some innate talent, you won't have the desire to have the grit in the first place. Anyone can learn to write or draw or play an instrument but create sublime works of art? That is a different story. That requires depth of perception, a high degree of intelligence and an indescribable sense of the poetic, I think. A great artist can make something incredible out of absolutely anything. The medium is irrelevant. It is the mindset. Anything an artist spits is art.
I’m 6’6 and can’t be a basketball player because I have small hands, short legs, and can’t jump. Never really wanted to, to begin with, because I found no joy in it. Joy, i believe goes hand in hand with knack, and while grit is important, absolutely, without that joy, I don’t think one will push oneself to master all there is in writing. I don’t think one will take the time. But if you do … I spent 13 years writing 3 books, and somewhere in book 3 a change happened. Like something clicked into place, and I wrote my 4th (240,000 words) in 7 months, with a full time job. With grit, I could push through the negativity, natural to the human psyche. But … is it any good? I’ll let my audience judge. ;)
Joy definitely matters, and what I especially like is that you chose that word instead of "fun". When it's always fun, it doesn't take grit to stick with (though focused practice to get REALLY good usually isn't fun, so usually you'll only get so far). When you get joy from it, you push through the hard parts, the parts when it's not fun. When you get neither, it better pay well, because what you have there is a day job! And congrats on it clicking. It can definitely take a few novels, which too many don't realize. Great comment! I think there's a video in there!
Writing isnt limited, sports is. That psychologist really should consider looking for a different job. 😂 She is comparing apples with oranges. As a teen, I always thought that I need some kind of degree to become a writer. I truly believed that. Turns out that was complete bs as I picked it up again as an adult. I noticed that I do have a way using words that isnt that common among my enviornment. They always say things like "i could never write stories" or "where do you get your ideas from" or they look at you in complete awe like youve found a special treasure. The funny part is that I dont see myself as THAT special. Mediocre if I compare myself to others. But how it gets recieved makes me wonder and think that I was somehow blessed since childhood with a burning desire to tell stories and being ABLE to do so. From fourth grade on, my teachers always praised me for my stories and how I use words. They always told me to start a writing career as an adult. Especially my highschool teacher. She was very supportive and encouraging. Met her years later and she asked me if I ever started my writing career. By that time the urge was suppressed by a "normal" life and I didnt even think about it until it hit me like a lightning bolt to start again early this year. I wish I could see my teacher once again an tell her that she was right all along and that her encouragement may have took almost 25 years to come to fruition, but that she was right all along.
That's great that you kept those seeds of encouragement with you. The good thing is, you chose the right medium to return to. Writing is an old person's game!
@@JAlanRyker I seriously didnt find anything else I could do as an adult 😅 No joke. I tried many different jobs, but nothing made me happy. I cant work with others, although Im not an antisocial personality. I hate routine and have a problem with authority and getting restricted. Which led to many burnouts in my "normal" jobs. Even as a housewife and mother. It doesnt fulfill me. It doesnt make me unhappy, either, but I cant find a spark in that to set me on fire. Writing does exactly that and I never ever thought that it could do so much for me. It hightens my mood, fires up my imagination and creativity, challenges me, gives me unrestricted freedom to work as fast, slow, when and how much I want to. No pressure, but personally challenging and BOY, ITS THE MOST FUN I EVER HAD! Seems like I was a writer all along and had no idea. Im also the very first in my family lineage who seriously wants to reach a higher goal than just being a family person with no aspirations whatsoever. Truly broke a cycle here.
@@schlumbl84 every time we chat I see more and more that we have in common. I'm so bad with being told what to do / bullied. Just like you, I can choke it down for awhile, but it eventually leads to burn out. And I hate being restricted, too. My brain wants to dive deeply into what it's obsessed with at the moment. A job that requires my attention feels like trying to hitch a bunch of unbreakable stallions to a wagon day after day. The best I've ever been able to do long-term have been jobs that don't require any of my mind so that I can listen to books and think and NOT get micromanaged.
@@JAlanRyker Seems like an "artist thing" 😂 Many artist are the same when it comes to regular jobs and a call for freedom and independence. No brainer jobs can be good. I used to work in a supermarket (restocking) and all I did while doing that was listening to music while fantasizing and thinking of stories. 😂 But being forced to think about certain and uninteresting things? Nope. Negative. Never. My brain just shuts the door whenever I have to do that. I need my freedom. Either that or I cant work at all. Took me many years to learn and acknowledge that and stand my ground when it comes to work. Since writing often doesnt count as a "real" job. It often gets laughed at. Just as pretty much every job in the field of arts. I used to believe the same, but after all those years of being burned out, my subconcious mind stepped forward and gave me back what I thought I lost many years ago. I found myself. Finally.
Even if you agreed with the sports analogy, does everybody who plays sports do so to become a professional? By that logic, why bother trying to play any sports at all if you're going to suck at it? I might as well tell the kid playing basketball down the street to stop since they'll never be great at it. No, not everyone is trying to become a pro. A lot of people do things because they enjoy them, obviously. Why shouldn't this apply to writing? Why is it considered a waste of time if you're not good at it? I think I remember Brandon Sanderson talking about people who write as a hobby and saying that it was perfectly fine. I was suprised to hear someone say this since I'd never heard it before. For some reason, being a hobbyist is more accepted in other areas, but when it comes to writing (and even art) it's almost seen as worthless. Of course, if you want to be published or get your writing out to the public, there are things you need to get better at and you must meet a minimum standard (at the very least). And that's where grit is absolutely essential, so I definitely agree with you. Sure, there will be talented writers. But I think talent is only relevant in things like a literature Nobel Prize and other awards like it. Otherwise, if you work at your craft, there will be readers who will enjoy your stories even if they're not the best.
You didn't provide the link to the video of this woman, I can only guess that she meant to know where your strengths are and don't push where it's useless. In basketball height is just one of the factors, speed and sense of games are two others to make a good basketball player. If you are overweight you won't be a ballerina, no matter what propaganda will tell you - you will break your ankles at the first pirouette. Just know your limits, see what you are good at and focus on this. It's useless to try to be a basketball player if you are 5'3. It's not a pessimistic message. It's a realistic one. If anything, it's toxic positivity that ruins people's expectations, because they are told: you can be anything. No, you can't it's impossible. Just be the best at what you're good at and what you enjoy. I'd also argue that literature, in general, got worse. People are told to avoid long descriptions, readers are unable to keep up with longer paragraphs and sentences are half the length they are in classical literature. Not everyone can write, but the good writer can come from anywhere, to slightly change great quote from Ratatouille. And yes, it is a matter of practice but I really want to see a sentence that is four lines in modern writing, instead of just a half.
It's definitely not pessimistic when regarding basketball or ballet, which was part of my message, when I said, "No, you can't be a professional basketball player at 5'3"
@@marikothecheetah9342 Ahhhh I think I see the disconnect, and it's something I didn't describe correctly: she didn't ONLY say that she chose to write instead of choosing ballet because she isn't tall enough. You're right, if you're 5 feet tall and love both ballet and writing fiction, write fiction, because there are physical limitations that prevent one from succeeding at a physical activity with artificial rules that require certain physical traits that can't be changed. The problem I had was when she used the reverse of this example of herself having to make a practical choice to explain why people who aren't talented at writing should choose something else. That is what I had the problem with, because there are no such hard requirements for success in a few lanes, nor rules for winning. That's the part that isn't practical but rather unnecessarily negative and not in alignment with current studies about the true relationship between talent and success.
@@JAlanRyker "The problem I had was when she used the reverse of this example of herself having to make a practical choice to explain why people who aren't talented at writing should choose something else." - this was the missing part. Mental skills are easier to learn, since our brains are not as diverse as our bodies so in this regard - you are correct. Practically anyone can learn how to write good. They've already learned how to read and write essays at school. "That is what I had the problem with, because there are no such hard requirements for success in a few lanes, nor rules for winning." - agreed.
I haven’t gotten into the meat of this video but, not for nothin but you know who also doesn’t really rely on talent? Stephen King. Just sayin. It’s why he pumps out a novel every year, often more frequently than that. Bc of g r i t.
I disagree. You can be an ok writer through effort, but there are extreme diminishing returns. You will never be a great writer through just hard work. You either have it or you don’t. Beauty isn’t subjective. There are objective measures to aesthetics that can’t be learned and are instead known and felt intrinsically
Nah, brah. The people who are nothing but grit and determination need to be turned away to go do something useful with their time. What you're advocating for has been done by millions of wannabe writers who have dumped their pieces on Amazon and the cultural utility for all of that grit has been negative. There's an endless sea of dross that has long since buried the hidden gems by very capable people. This is immediately obvious when going to Steam to look for good indie games and having to sort through all the crap to find anything good. It's demoralizing both for the learned audience and the talented creators when they have to see all the crap that is treated as just as worthwhile as the good stuff. This kind of mentality, of hard work uber alles, is what gets highly motivated people to the finish line, but highly motivated=/=good. And if the current crop of writers in Hollywood, games or publishing is anything to go by, more gatekeeping is needed. A lot more.
I don't know how much I included in this video, but you might check in others, that I talk about a need for constant pushing at weaknesses, focused practice, a dedication to improve, and developing perspective. Definitely as the gatekeepers have been removed, a lot of low quality stuff has come through. As a creator, this tragedy of the commons (with the limited resource being attention) is not my problem. I can't do anything about it. If you don't run to the well to get water for your family, it doesn't stop the run on the well, it just means your family dies of thirst.
"You can brute-force genius." Love this quote! Perseverance is what eventually produces a great writer - I 100% agree.
I really appreciate this. Writing my first novel took four years. Finding the voice took two years of that, and then I had to go back and rewrite everything. Now I'm working on the second novel :)
Voice counts for so much, I'm sure it was worth the effort
"There are as many paths to greatness as there are writers," is the perfect quote. Thank you for another great video!
It seems like people with natural talent do things by instinct, and don't often understand the mechanics behind what makes their work good. This makes them bad at teaching and it may make it difficult for them to repeat success (their first story felt inspired and flowed out of them effortlessly; they get a good idea for a second, very different kind of story, and suddenly it isn't working). Struggling to learn is the real path to fully understanding a thing.
I think you're right. When you think about it in terms of repeated success, being really talented is sometimes a worse place to start from. This has me thinking in a different way about those people who write one spectacular novel and then nothing again
Muggsy Bogues was a 5'3 basketball player known for his speed who scored a total of 106 3pt baskets over the course of his career. He seems to have been known for his speed and ability to steal the ball, which probably came from the fact he was smaller than his competitors, meaning he leaned into what he was already good at. while his total of long range shots made is not the highest, *he still made 106 of them*. important things to think about.
I felt the jock thing. Freshman year I tried out for the baseball team but the coach running the thing had some unidentifiable problem with me (seriously, snide comments after EVERYTHING I did, and no one else). Obviously I didn't make the team. For the next three years in PE classes, whenever we played softball or baseball or the sort of indoor baseball we played when it was raining, and I had five baseball players in the class, I was the only one hitting home runs and making the reflexive outs, even over the team captain.
I won a state championship and olympic medal in racquetball at multiple levels.
I set a couple of records for my track team.
That meathead coach (he was a former Yankee, and talked like the most stereotypical New Yorker you can imagine) didn't want me for whatever reason and the spite fueled me all the way through college.
I love jock tears, too.
Anyway, I'm bringing the same attitude to writing, fighting against the trad gatekeepers.
Brilliant. Thanks. You’re right and I agree . Probably my favourite video you’ve made.
Thank you! I felt the fire about this one
I totally agree with what you've said here, and as an illustrator, I believe the same for art.
It's interesting how the perception of what one should be able to achieve is different for different mediums. My instinct says that people believe the ability to do visual art is even more reliant on talent than writing, which is sad because it causes a lot of people to not even try. But then, because fiction is so accessible, people seem to think their first attempt at a novel is going to be pro-grade, and no one would think that of their first drawing, and then that gets people discouraged and quitting.
There's a video in that...
Not only do we get to perfect it in private, but if we DO release it and it turns out it's less than stellar... If it's self published, we can correct mistakes as needed.
And yes... you are speaking to other crazy people (me, at least).
Also: through spite, all things are possible. That's how I managed to publish two things this year, and have more in the pipeline.
I'm 6'4" and stocky and various groups tried to get me into various sports, but on some fundamental level I lack the "fierce competition" center of my brain. Playing for FUN was where I excelled, and the second it was "win OR ELSE", I failed hard.
Looking at the last five years, the same went for writing. That's what I'm currently training myself up for right now.
I first considered becoming a writer in 6th grade, having gotten an A on a writing assignment. At that point, I felt I was in the "talented" category. I was also a kid who had no grit or follow-through. I didn't understand the growth mentality, so I quit writing. I had high expectations with little grounding me back then.
Why did I come back to it over 20 years later? Some stories have haunted me and followed me through my entire life. I think, more than anything, I'd like to see them written to release some inner demons and ghosts.
I feel this. I don't get embarrassed and discouraged as easily anymore, but instead I've replaced it with a constant fight to not feel a sense of loss of what I could have accomplished if I'd had more grit as a young person.
I'm glad you're back with new perspective
Great video! Thank you!
Very encouraging, as always. I'm curious about the professor in the comment, though. I wonder if it was Robert Oren Butler, author of FROM WHERE YOU DREAM. I don't know how many of you have read it, but even though the writing advice is excellent (anchor your language in bodily experiences, write your journal as scenes instead of musings), I'd never want to be in his class. He tore his students' examples to shreds! That's great for readers to learn from, but it was probably hellish to experience. So if he regretted that, I respect him more for it.
Paul said the video is from the "Film Courage channel with an LA-based professor". Problem is that channel has about 6000 videos! So
The examples you gave are definitely what I think of as the low-hanging fruit that produces the biggest return, making anyone's writing seem next level. So even if he's not the professor, he's giving the same advice to get his students on the same solid footing.
I really don't like a brutal critique style. In my mind, it can all be true, but why are you saying it if the person is so defensive they won't listen to it? And as the receiver, you should probably be defensive. If a person doesn't like anything you did, it's likely they aren't trying to help you tell YOUR story.
I don't know if that applies to him, but that's what I think in general.
Amazing video. I hope it helps people understand.
I appreciate that you give credence to both grit and talent, yet also acknowledging one is greater than the other. Simple logic dictates, and for the story of your MFA years, proves that without the care to work nothing will be done. Yet, with both grit and talent it is possible to achive more together. And I am a proponent to talent being achived, just as that comment's story proved about the professor and his classes. As an educator myself (substitute teacher and college tutor) I have seen how students grow, but also evolve. How they entirely change due to careful, critical thought and being more analytical in their approach to learning.
Nonetheless, thank you once again for a fantastic and insightful video! I alwasy like to watch them before I start my writting sessions and they never cease to provide a good jolt of motivation to start!
Thank you for such kind words!
At the very highest, highest levels of any endeavor, I think you find people who have both a lot of natural talent and a lot of grit. But I think there's so much more room beneath that ceiling than most people give credence, and I think it's also kind of impossible to know what your personal ceiling is. Especially in writing, where people get better just by getting older.
The good news is, while sometimes passion for consuming the medium is enough to get a person started at creating it, usually it's some degree of natural talent that makes a person serious about it, and then they can build from there
@ perfectly put!!
Great video again man. Thanks for this!
I believe if you don't have at least some innate talent, you won't have the desire to have the grit in the first place. Anyone can learn to write or draw or play an instrument but create sublime works of art? That is a different story. That requires depth of perception, a high degree of intelligence and an indescribable sense of the poetic, I think. A great artist can make something incredible out of absolutely anything. The medium is irrelevant. It is the mindset. Anything an artist spits is art.
I’m 6’6 and can’t be a basketball player because I have small hands, short legs, and can’t jump. Never really wanted to, to begin with, because I found no joy in it. Joy, i believe goes hand in hand with knack, and while grit is important, absolutely, without that joy, I don’t think one will push oneself to master all there is in writing. I don’t think one will take the time. But if you do … I spent 13 years writing 3 books, and somewhere in book 3 a change happened. Like something clicked into place, and I wrote my 4th (240,000 words) in 7 months, with a full time job. With grit, I could push through the negativity, natural to the human psyche. But … is it any good? I’ll let my audience judge. ;)
Joy definitely matters, and what I especially like is that you chose that word instead of "fun". When it's always fun, it doesn't take grit to stick with (though focused practice to get REALLY good usually isn't fun, so usually you'll only get so far). When you get joy from it, you push through the hard parts, the parts when it's not fun.
When you get neither, it better pay well, because what you have there is a day job!
And congrats on it clicking. It can definitely take a few novels, which too many don't realize.
Great comment! I think there's a video in there!
Writing isnt limited, sports is.
That psychologist really should consider looking for a different job. 😂
She is comparing apples with oranges.
As a teen, I always thought that I need some kind of degree to become a writer. I truly believed that.
Turns out that was complete bs as I picked it up again as an adult. I noticed that I do have a way using words that isnt that common among my enviornment. They always say things like "i could never write stories" or "where do you get your ideas from" or they look at you in complete awe like youve found a special treasure.
The funny part is that I dont see myself as THAT special. Mediocre if I compare myself to others. But how it gets recieved makes me wonder and think that I was somehow blessed since childhood with a burning desire to tell stories and being ABLE to do so.
From fourth grade on, my teachers always praised me for my stories and how I use words. They always told me to start a writing career as an adult. Especially my highschool teacher. She was very supportive and encouraging. Met her years later and she asked me if I ever started my writing career. By that time the urge was suppressed by a "normal" life and I didnt even think about it until it hit me like a lightning bolt to start again early this year.
I wish I could see my teacher once again an tell her that she was right all along and that her encouragement may have took almost 25 years to come to fruition, but that she was right all along.
That's great that you kept those seeds of encouragement with you. The good thing is, you chose the right medium to return to. Writing is an old person's game!
@@JAlanRyker I seriously didnt find anything else I could do as an adult 😅
No joke. I tried many different jobs, but nothing made me happy.
I cant work with others, although Im not an antisocial personality.
I hate routine and have a problem with authority and getting restricted. Which led to many burnouts in my "normal" jobs. Even as a housewife and mother. It doesnt fulfill me. It doesnt make me unhappy, either, but I cant find a spark in that to set me on fire.
Writing does exactly that and I never ever thought that it could do so much for me. It hightens my mood, fires up my imagination and creativity, challenges me, gives me unrestricted freedom to work as fast, slow, when and how much I want to. No pressure, but personally challenging and BOY, ITS THE MOST FUN I EVER HAD!
Seems like I was a writer all along and had no idea.
Im also the very first in my family lineage who seriously wants to reach a higher goal than just being a family person with no aspirations whatsoever.
Truly broke a cycle here.
@@schlumbl84 every time we chat I see more and more that we have in common. I'm so bad with being told what to do / bullied. Just like you, I can choke it down for awhile, but it eventually leads to burn out. And I hate being restricted, too. My brain wants to dive deeply into what it's obsessed with at the moment. A job that requires my attention feels like trying to hitch a bunch of unbreakable stallions to a wagon day after day. The best I've ever been able to do long-term have been jobs that don't require any of my mind so that I can listen to books and think and NOT get micromanaged.
@@JAlanRyker Seems like an "artist thing" 😂
Many artist are the same when it comes to regular jobs and a call for freedom and independence.
No brainer jobs can be good. I used to work in a supermarket (restocking) and all I did while doing that was listening to music while fantasizing and thinking of stories. 😂 But being forced to think about certain and uninteresting things? Nope. Negative. Never. My brain just shuts the door whenever I have to do that.
I need my freedom. Either that or I cant work at all. Took me many years to learn and acknowledge that and stand my ground when it comes to work. Since writing often doesnt count as a "real" job. It often gets laughed at.
Just as pretty much every job in the field of arts.
I used to believe the same, but after all those years of being burned out, my subconcious mind stepped forward and gave me back what I thought I lost many years ago. I found myself. Finally.
Quite right, it's baseball
Even if you agreed with the sports analogy, does everybody who plays sports do so to become a professional? By that logic, why bother trying to play any sports at all if you're going to suck at it? I might as well tell the kid playing basketball down the street to stop since they'll never be great at it.
No, not everyone is trying to become a pro. A lot of people do things because they enjoy them, obviously. Why shouldn't this apply to writing? Why is it considered a waste of time if you're not good at it? I think I remember Brandon Sanderson talking about people who write as a hobby and saying that it was perfectly fine. I was suprised to hear someone say this since I'd never heard it before. For some reason, being a hobbyist is more accepted in other areas, but when it comes to writing (and even art) it's almost seen as worthless.
Of course, if you want to be published or get your writing out to the public, there are things you need to get better at and you must meet a minimum standard (at the very least). And that's where grit is absolutely essential, so I definitely agree with you. Sure, there will be talented writers. But I think talent is only relevant in things like a literature Nobel Prize and other awards like it. Otherwise, if you work at your craft, there will be readers who will enjoy your stories even if they're not the best.
Mediocrity is a choice, an unwillingness to reflect and improve. Requires equal doses humility and confidence.
That is so true I might have to make that a video title...
@JAlanRyker feel free! It's all yours. Your vids have helped me a ton. Peace :)
You didn't provide the link to the video of this woman, I can only guess that she meant to know where your strengths are and don't push where it's useless. In basketball height is just one of the factors, speed and sense of games are two others to make a good basketball player. If you are overweight you won't be a ballerina, no matter what propaganda will tell you - you will break your ankles at the first pirouette. Just know your limits, see what you are good at and focus on this. It's useless to try to be a basketball player if you are 5'3.
It's not a pessimistic message. It's a realistic one. If anything, it's toxic positivity that ruins people's expectations, because they are told: you can be anything. No, you can't it's impossible. Just be the best at what you're good at and what you enjoy.
I'd also argue that literature, in general, got worse. People are told to avoid long descriptions, readers are unable to keep up with longer paragraphs and sentences are half the length they are in classical literature. Not everyone can write, but the good writer can come from anywhere, to slightly change great quote from Ratatouille.
And yes, it is a matter of practice but I really want to see a sentence that is four lines in modern writing, instead of just a half.
It's definitely not pessimistic when regarding basketball or ballet, which was part of my message, when I said, "No, you can't be a professional basketball player at 5'3"
@@JAlanRyker And I'm just saying she was practical about her approach, not negative, like you implied she was.
@@marikothecheetah9342 Ahhhh I think I see the disconnect, and it's something I didn't describe correctly: she didn't ONLY say that she chose to write instead of choosing ballet because she isn't tall enough. You're right, if you're 5 feet tall and love both ballet and writing fiction, write fiction, because there are physical limitations that prevent one from succeeding at a physical activity with artificial rules that require certain physical traits that can't be changed.
The problem I had was when she used the reverse of this example of herself having to make a practical choice to explain why people who aren't talented at writing should choose something else. That is what I had the problem with, because there are no such hard requirements for success in a few lanes, nor rules for winning. That's the part that isn't practical but rather unnecessarily negative and not in alignment with current studies about the true relationship between talent and success.
@@JAlanRyker "The problem I had was when she used the reverse of this example of herself having to make a practical choice to explain why people who aren't talented at writing should choose something else." - this was the missing part. Mental skills are easier to learn, since our brains are not as diverse as our bodies so in this regard - you are correct. Practically anyone can learn how to write good. They've already learned how to read and write essays at school.
"That is what I had the problem with, because there are no such hard requirements for success in a few lanes, nor rules for winning." - agreed.
I haven’t gotten into the meat of this video but, not for nothin but you know who also doesn’t really rely on talent?
Stephen King.
Just sayin. It’s why he pumps out a novel every year, often more frequently than that.
Bc of g r i t.
Inspiring. Go Forest! Go!
I disagree. You can be an ok writer through effort, but there are extreme diminishing returns. You will never be a great writer through just hard work. You either have it or you don’t. Beauty isn’t subjective. There are objective measures to aesthetics that can’t be learned and are instead known and felt intrinsically
Hard work trumps talent every time.
Bukowski deserves rejection. I don't know why anyone thinks anything of him.
uh no
ha well regardless he's a good example of persistence paying off. Hell, he's a better example if you don't like his work
Nah, brah. The people who are nothing but grit and determination need to be turned away to go do something useful with their time. What you're advocating for has been done by millions of wannabe writers who have dumped their pieces on Amazon and the cultural utility for all of that grit has been negative. There's an endless sea of dross that has long since buried the hidden gems by very capable people. This is immediately obvious when going to Steam to look for good indie games and having to sort through all the crap to find anything good. It's demoralizing both for the learned audience and the talented creators when they have to see all the crap that is treated as just as worthwhile as the good stuff.
This kind of mentality, of hard work uber alles, is what gets highly motivated people to the finish line, but highly motivated=/=good. And if the current crop of writers in Hollywood, games or publishing is anything to go by, more gatekeeping is needed. A lot more.
I don't know how much I included in this video, but you might check in others, that I talk about a need for constant pushing at weaknesses, focused practice, a dedication to improve, and developing perspective.
Definitely as the gatekeepers have been removed, a lot of low quality stuff has come through. As a creator, this tragedy of the commons (with the limited resource being attention) is not my problem. I can't do anything about it. If you don't run to the well to get water for your family, it doesn't stop the run on the well, it just means your family dies of thirst.
Absolutely correct and based statement
We need to start discouraging democracy in art and gatekeeping it from mediocre artists.