Jill here.
I have a second Sting quote that I picked up from watching 20 Feet From Stardom, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2014. The show tells the story of several backup singers who sang on hundreds of famous songs. I wrote this quote down while watching the show.
This same truth applies to authors. There are times when an author shoots to the top of the bestseller lists, even with a book that has truly terrible writing. It happens. And that author might make a lot of money. But if he or she skipped the hard work of learning to write, of being rejected time and again and not giving up, that success will be wafer thin. Easily lost in a moment. Unable to write a second hit. A one hit wonder come and gone. Here today, forgotten tomorrow.
If writing matters to you, if you love stories, don’t be that author. Don’t look for a quick path to success. Put in the time to train yourself, to practice, to learn skills. Respect your dream enough to know that anything worthwhile takes hard work. It’s true in the music industry. It’s true in the publishing industry. It’s just plain truth.
What ways have you been working hard lately? Share in the comments.