Persistence, Patience, Faith...

“A leaf that is destined to grow large is full of grooves and wrinkles at the start. Now if one has no patience and wants it smooth offhand like a willow leaf, there is trouble ahead.” --Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Ah, those pesky first drafts, and the ensuing edits. That first glimpse of a lovely idea, plots branching out all over, leaf-pages that are smooth as lovely and completely wrinkle-free.

And here I am stuck with a couple of acorns and a muddy plot.

So what's the key? Persistence, Patience, Faith.

Persistence—It's not enough to wish or want, one must DO. Just as we urge our characters to take action to resolve the many dilemmas we put them in, WE must take action and push ourselves to keep on writing.

Patience—Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor was it made out of paper. Yet here we are with the power of Olympian Goddesses, able to construct vast worlds, birth amazing heroines and heroes, and pick those (sometimes) hapless heroes and heroines up and toss them in the most delightful muck we can think of. However, no matter that the mind can race faster than a speeding chariot, the fingers can only do so much. We may envision the whole book in one day but barely make it through a scene in our precious writing time. So… patience. One word-brick at a time. Build the foundation. Add some walls. Throw in some roads. The city will be built.

Faith—We must believe. There's no getting around it. The Wright brothers didn't say, "Oh, well, if it doesn’t work the first time we can always just go back to repairing bicycles." No way! They believed Man was Meant to Fly. Just as your book is meant to be written. Believe. Look in the mirror as you brush your teeth. As soon as you've spit out the toothpaste and rinsed your mouth, tell yourself, "I am a writer."

And away we go!