Asimov on persistence

"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist."

 Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)

IOW, keep on keeping on, writers everywhere!

I was just talking to Will about how I want my voice as a writer to sound.  Not my writing voice, mind you.  But how does Lisa sound when she's talking about writing or to other writers?  Many voices out there want to punish us.  Like an unskilled parent, they want to beat us into submission to turn out better works.  They seek to shame us into excellence.  And as I said before, I fell into this camp.

But what child responds to such a tack?  My children sure don't!

I want to sound different now.  I want to be a person shares the corner of any writer out there who is trying to better him/herself.  I want to be known as someone who walks the journey, extending a hand filled with grace and the belief that with God's help, we can all do great things for the kingdom, that we can ruthlessly pursue excellence and when the voices of disdain grow loud, from talented folks and those who wish they were, let's drown them out with the most beautiful, thoughtful words we can muster, displayed on the pages of our own work.

Don't be discouraged and set that manuscript in a drawer.  Keep pressing forward always remembering there is no one out there that can write like you, that has lived the life you have lived, or can tell the stories you alone can tell.

grace,

lisa