A major ingredient to writing success is perseverance.
Perception was last
week’s word. This week it is perseverance. I know when I started to write, I
thought I’d just write a book, fix it up and I’d sell it. Well, we all know
that doesn’t happen very often and it certainly didn’t happen for me. I made
the finals in the Malice Domestic contest with it, but that’s as far as it
went. Looking at it ten years later, I can see why. I had a lot to learn about
the craft. I had to pay my dues and do my TI – time in.
Last night I went to a
screening of the second episode of Season 6 for the Republic of Doyle. AllanHawco, Newfoundland born creator and lead character of the series was there to
meet and greet us and to answer questions. He is as personable in real life as
he is on the screen. Krystin Pellerin, as beautiful as she is on TV, joined him
and the banter between them as they answered questions reflected the give and
take they have on screen. It was a touch surreal, as if I’d walked into the
world of the Republic.
Republic of Doyle
burst onto the TV scene six years ago and quickly won the hearts of Canadians
and the world. They had us with the Newfie audacity of Jake Doyle and the cocky
humor of the whole cast. Before that, I had never heard of Allan Hawco.
However, the man has paid his dues in stage, film and TV on both sides of the
camera. His credentials and awards are impressive. He has TI. And now he has
fame.
Many writers who seem
to appear on the scene as full blown successes, like Allan Hawco, have paid
their dues quietly and steadily. Their overnight success took years, maybe
decades. They persevered.
My point here is if
you want to be a writer, keep writing. Write journals. Write poems. Write short
stories, novellas, novels or scripts. Learn your craft, perfect your story
skills, and above all, persevere. Persistence is often the final ingredient
that makes the difference between not succeeding and succeeding not only as a
writer, but in any endeavor.
Can you persevere? Go
the distance? Put in the time?
Excellent advice, Mahrie! BTW...Great picture!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne - it was a fun evening and a lesson in how to succeed.
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