The words of Samuel Johnson.
Similar to the philosophy of Samuel L. Jackson, who seems to believe that great works are performed by persevering through absolutely every movie they’ll pay you to be in, because a few of them will be bound to turn out great.
He’s right, too.
This is the only way I may get to do great works – perseverance and stubbornness.
Never give up. Never surrender. If they want me out of here, they’re going to have to tell me – I’m not doing it for them. (That got me through my PhD thesis, btw.)
I have been writing the current novel, off (while I wrote a play) and on, since the turn of the century, and it’s coming along nicely, thank you. Then in September 2012, I started (with a big buffer which is getting too small) posting a polished scene a week on the blog I had started a year before for that exact eventuality. I started, with my heart in my throat – and I’m still at it. I’ve picked up a few patient readers and encouragers along the way – and it’s good.
God willin’ and the creek don’t rise is my motto – perseverance is the only thing I bring to the determination to master the craft of writing fiction, and I’m having a very good time with the process. I write – that day I’m a happy person.
Then I’ll have your task – sell the book. Ugh. Or maybe, hmmm – opportunity to find out what I’m made of.
Alicia