Isaac Assimov wrote or edited over 500 books and roughly 90,000 letters in his 72 years. Romance novelist Barbara Cartland wrote more than 700 books, while Stephen King has written 60-full length works of fiction and nearly 200 short stories.
Today there is a big debate between the importance of talent versus grit. "Some people just have it while others don't," is the refrain I hear most frequently. But if there's anything I've learned from some of the most prolific writers of our time it's first and foremost about simply sitting down and doing the work. That level of discipline has become extraordinarily rare in this age of constant distraction and short attention spans. Here are some of the habits I've noticed in some of the creators I admire most:
1. They don't wait for inspiration. What the Isaac Assimov's and Hemingway's of the world understood is you can't simply wait for some divine revelation to hit you. You have to write whether you feel like it or not and, here's the key, stay consistent. This means falling madly in love with failure, being able to stomach your work being bad, and setting a time each day where you plant yourself sans distraction and write. As David Mamet once said, "I'm not any less confused about it than you are. I just got in the habit of doing it."
2. They don't allow themselves to be thwarted by the criticism of others. Playwright Edward Albee once said, "I didn't stop writing just because you didn't like it." If you're writing as consistently as people like Stephen King or Woody Allen chances are the work is not always going to be great. In fact, much of it will be underwhelming. The key is to not let that stop you from trying. One of the greatest impediments to becoming a master craftsman is the inability to tolerate something not being great. The key is to appreciate the road to mastery is a long and fleeting journey but you can only get there if you keep going.
3. They set up small "wins." Author, photographer, and weightlifter James Clear talks a great deal about small wins. His weekly newsletter devoted to uncovering habits and routines that make people extraordinary goes out every week come rain, sleet, or snow. He understands that there will be some days where you just don't feel like doing something but that it's still key to put in the work. You may write 5 sentences one day, or 2 the next. But rather than criticizing yourself for not being Shakespeare you can honor the effort. And if you feel like you're in a perpetual state of frustration it's very likely your expectations are too high and you're being unfair to yourself. This mindset has the tendency to stymie any effort and leave us sitting idle rather than focusing on being proactive regardless of how significant the output.
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