Writers Who Work Hardest, Not the Most Talented-Usually Have Best Outcomes

Studies show students who get down to doing their work earlier rather than at the last minute are more successful overall.

I have a student who wants to become a New York Times best-selling children’s author. (It's so good to have a goal!) She's already completed a novel manuscript entirely on her own. Her mother contacted me about coaching when she wanted to begin revising it. First of all, finishing a manuscript is an incredible thing for any teen to accomplish. Even finishing a story is exceptionally challenging for most teens.

In fact, most adults who begin writing a novel will never finish. So I can't help but think this teen is special and gifted in some ways. Yet did her novel draft have all the important craft elements woven together? No. Could she learn multiple ways to improve her story? Definitely!

Looking back, when I started high school, aside from trying to write a novel when I was ten, I hadn't even given myself permission to write yet. Instead, I was a theater nerd.  When I was a senior in high school, my drama instructor, cast me as a lead of our school play my senior year. During the same year she presented me with multiple awards from the drama department as I headed off to a top drama program in the nation that I'd had to audition to get into. I'd surpassed all the other (perhaps more talented?) drama students.

Yet, around. that time, this drama instructor shared with me her first impression from my first year of high school in her Introduction to Drama class. Our first assignment was to recite a poem--any poem. Even if we got up and recited Mary Had A Little Lamb, the point was to memorize something and recite it. On that day, I came in with crutches with a broken ankle, sat on a stool, and recited all thirteen stanzas of "The Creamation of Sam Mcgee". At that point she said to herself, "Well, she can't act--but at least she can memorize lines."

Man, I did not like hearing this. At that time, like most teens, I wanted to be seen as having god given inate talent. However, as someone who has been teaching for decades now, I completely get what she meant back then. She didn't see talent, not then. What she saw was that I would worked hard to be outstanding--even on a low-stakes assignment. It was later, in my junior year, she watched me in a play and afterwards teared up a bit saying that I was 'so true'.

Do not get hung up on whether you or your learner has writing talent. Instead focus on this: is there a strong will to write and learn?

        My student today has worked hard on her writing. She still has a ways to go because she is overtly learning what some other students already do intuitively. She is quickly beginning to catch up, however. I have so much respect for her. Now I see talent: she creates strong central characters and can bring the emotional heat to her work. Now we both see how excellent her writing is—and how much her beta readers enjoy her new novel.

          Daniel Coyle in THE TALENT CODE argues a strong work trumps talent alone. (Meanwhile, I have many students who are both talented and work hard.)

There is a feeling of competence and ease when you're standing at the top of a mountain comprised of your consistent hard work.

        In fact, sometimes you have a better outcome when you have to overtly learn or re-learn what you need to do. When I first took skiing lessons, I learned that controlling my expeirence was all about mastering the turn. Later on, I skied with a friend who’d never had lessons, but instead had intuitively figured out how to ski well. She was a much better skier than I was, yet we could both tackle easy black diamond slopes. The problem was this: sometimes she had a bad day on the slope. when that happened, she didn’t know how to correct herself. Because I’d had lessons, if I had problems, I’d go back to the basics: my turns. I could return to good skiing in ten minutes.

I encourage you not worry about talent--especially at the beginning of our process together.

What you're looking for is a yearning to write, an ability. to learn, and a determination to chip away at it week after week. Get professional coaching to support this passion. Coaching plus working hard work pays off in other areas throughout one's life as well--especially in academics. :)

ONE FINAL CAVEAT:

When it comes to good work habits in the creative arts, we also have to be careful not to take a young, diligent worker and use their conscientiousness to beat the fun out of of them. Sometimes these hard workers need a break. This can even mean letting go and giving up on a novel draft. Why?

• Some learners just aren't ready for the major slog that is editing.

• Some learners are on the verge of burn out and need a break--from everything.

We won't instill a good work ethic by lecturing or guilting a learner. It's normal not to want to do creative work when the spirit is low.

For anyone interested in exploring more themes of artistic work vs talent and how this relates to success:

• check out The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.

• Henry James also has a short novel about hard work and artistry called Roderick Hudson on this same theme. This work is suitable for teen readers.

• Martin Scorcese has a complex and interesting short film in New York Stories that, within a problematic romantic context, throws out a comparison between the obsession and hard work of a seasoned artist vs. the worries over talent and the social distractions a new artist faces. It's not for kids, but quite interesting to contemplate in the light of the discussion above.

Bye, my friends! I hope this was helpful. Have a great weekend. Feel free to leave comments or questions below. 

As always, if you or someone you’re raising is interested in writing a big project, you can let me know in the contact form and we can chat about you/your learner and the project to see if I can help.