“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
One of the biggest challenges I’ve noticed over the years with my students is persistence. Simply sticking with the process. Life happens and grand excuses arise. They feel so real and insurmountable. A death in the family, a divorce, a major move, an illness, a flood, fire, or earthquake— all terrific things to write about and great material for your practice, especially in the specific moments of their happening. Not easy I know, especially if you are feeling weak and overwhelmed.
However, I promise you this— when you muster up the energy to write into and through these difficult life experiences, not only will you gain insight and healing, but you will become a better writer, merely by the fact of your persistence. The truth is, most people give up. They bail. But you won’t. You will write through to the other side.
How to persevere in the face of doubt and confusion
Make this your mantra: “I will not agree to be defeated.” You need to make an agreement with yourself and face the monsters of negative self-talk, fear, and rejection. The first step is to face these things head on- cry, tear up your paper, scream at your screen- and get it out of your system. And then you can move on.
Be severe in your approach
Notice how the word “severe” is in perseverance? You need to be severe in your approach and how you deal with doubt, fear, and rejection. No matter the obstacles in your way, you need to write anyway, even if it is simply for the sake of creativity.
Staying motivated
To persevere, fall in love with the process. Writing isn’t always a glamorous profession. All of the edits, re-writes, book proposals, and rejection letters take their toll. Which is why you need to fall in love with all of it and see the whole process as part of your creativity. Stay committed to the writing practice and foster a belief in yourself and in your work, and you will persevere.
I can tell you so much more about perseverance and the role it plays in the writing practice. It’s one of the ten key success principles I examine in my online writing course. If you’re curious about the course and taking your writing from inspiration to publication click here to find out more.
I also have a free mini training course called Foundations for Writers. In this free online writing course, I examine three of the ten key success principles for writers: Purpose, Passion, and Practice.
For more writing tips and tricks check out my YouTube channel —> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUXkLV0Hmp3VZ0rDNE6aig
My upcoming events can be found here—> https://albertflynndesilver.com/classes
