Welcome back to this week’s post for Marketing for Romance Writers (#MFRW) 52-Week Blog Challenge! The topic is one I’ve dreaded in every interview for most of my lifetime, “What’s Your Greatest Strength?” Groans. Because I always knew what question was coming next, “What’s Your Greatest Weakness.”
So, not to disappoint, you might realize what the topic is next week…
Hey Perfectionist! Nobody’s Perfect
I’ve expanded upon my go-to response of being a perfectionist. Once I began researching, and completing, about a bajillion interviews I realized this was the go-to response just about everybody uses.
I’m focusing today’s post on my greatest strength related to my writing (because no one wants to hear about my return to my Bowflex workouts—or do you? Note to self for future post…scribbles furiously).
Internal Drive—Cruise Control
For years, I had this quote on my desk at my office and I incorporated this thought into my daily tasks, and in my writing.
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”- John Quincy Adams
I began taking my writing seriously around eight or nine years ago, and one thing I learned quickly—
#Writing is hard work. If I didn’t love to do it so much, I wouldn’t have stuck with it. #MFRW Share on XMy greatest strength? Perseverance.
strong>Perseverance is defined as steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
Building My Strength
My strong underlying perseverance kept me returning to that chair again and again. I did this despite rejections, harsh critiques, fatigue, backaches, lengthy per
iods of silence while waiting for a response from contests, editors etc.
That isolated cabin where I imagined myself immersed with my muse, without a care other than writing my novels, doesn’t exist. (If you’ve found it, I’m on my way, bears be darned!)
My perseverance (and love of writing) keeps me getting up long before I need to start my day to make the time to write. It has me returning to my manuscript to read it for the millionth
time to make the tweaks my editor recommended, or discover the plot holes and bad grammar I missed the first, second, or third time I read it.
Tune in next week where I’m talking about…you guessed it…my Greatest Weakness
Great writers – like great minds – think alike!! Perseverance is the word of the year!!!
I agree 🙂
Yep, plugging away at your craft. Good strength to have.
I’ll second the comment.
Writing does take time and dedication. It’s not easy but to be your version of successful (because everyone views success differently) you have to find a way to keep going.
Perseverance is an excellent trait to have, especially for a writer. Looking forward to reading about your weaknes…because I’m evil that way… muwahahahaha… Great post!
Perfectionism is tough on writers, because what we do is way too complicated for perfection. I’ve heard people say more than once that there’s no such thing as a perfect book — and they’re talking only about the easy part, the proofreading! How much more impossible is authoring a perfect book.
Perseverance is essential. Even when we lose the rhythm, we have to find our back.
Hear hear! Let’s hear it for perfetct-uh, I mean, perserverance! I am seriously looking forward to the empty nest; I used to say if I could just lock myself in a motel room for a week or up to a month, I’d finally get these partials written, or even more accomplished:)