Perseverance and Bullheadedness—Essential Writer’s Tools by Stephanie Berget
Perseverance, noun--steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
Bullheadedness, noun--obstinately opinionated, especially in refusing to consider alternatives; stubborn.
Which describes you? That depends on which side of the stream you’re on.
If you need to get Dually, the Donkey across a stream, and he refuses, bullheaded is a word that’s likely to come to mind, along with several more-colorful expressions. One by one you’ll try every trick in your arsenal. You’ll haul on his lead rope, tempt him with tasty grass or, in desperation, you might even try to push him across. In the end, as you lay sweating on the bank of the stream, you’ll consider him stubborn, obstinate and opinionated. In other words, bullheaded.
From Dually’s point of view, the scenario may seem vastly different. If, in his best judgement, crossing the stream is a bad thing, he’ll dig in his hooves and persevere. He’ll use steady persistence, in spite of any difficulties or discouragement.
For writers, there is a lesson to be learned from Dually. Arguably the most important quality a writer needs is perseverance. We often spend more time finding out what doesn’t work than what does work. Perseverance in the face of discouragement will help you reach the other side of the stream. Continuing to write through the good times and bad will teach you to find your voice.
In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell tells us it takes approximately ten thousand hours of doing a particular thing before you become an expert at actually doing that thing. Ten thousand hours of writing and rewriting. That’s perseverance.
Richard Bach, the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, said, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” To help us persist in our writing, even when we’d rather not, we need to remember the small victories. Excellent writers aren’t made over night. Let the small victories encourage you until you have the experience and ability to achieve greater things.
Being a bit bullheaded isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Perseverance and bullheadedness are essential for writers learning to handle rejection. If you put your work out for the world to see, rejection will become a big part of your life. The best writers get beyond rejection by writing something else – something new. They keep moving forward, which is another definition for perseverance. They refuse to consider not writing. Bullheadedness or perseverance, you decide.
Non-writers may consider us bullheaded as they ask for the hundredth time, “Do you have your book done yet?” They might see us as bullheaded as they watch us type away on the fifth book when the first four have been turned down. But we know deep in our hearts bullheaded is the wrong description.
Writer, thy name is Perseverance.
Bullheadedness, noun--obstinately opinionated, especially in refusing to consider alternatives; stubborn.
Which describes you? That depends on which side of the stream you’re on.
If you need to get Dually, the Donkey across a stream, and he refuses, bullheaded is a word that’s likely to come to mind, along with several more-colorful expressions. One by one you’ll try every trick in your arsenal. You’ll haul on his lead rope, tempt him with tasty grass or, in desperation, you might even try to push him across. In the end, as you lay sweating on the bank of the stream, you’ll consider him stubborn, obstinate and opinionated. In other words, bullheaded.
From Dually’s point of view, the scenario may seem vastly different. If, in his best judgement, crossing the stream is a bad thing, he’ll dig in his hooves and persevere. He’ll use steady persistence, in spite of any difficulties or discouragement.
For writers, there is a lesson to be learned from Dually. Arguably the most important quality a writer needs is perseverance. We often spend more time finding out what doesn’t work than what does work. Perseverance in the face of discouragement will help you reach the other side of the stream. Continuing to write through the good times and bad will teach you to find your voice.
In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell tells us it takes approximately ten thousand hours of doing a particular thing before you become an expert at actually doing that thing. Ten thousand hours of writing and rewriting. That’s perseverance.
Richard Bach, the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, said, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” To help us persist in our writing, even when we’d rather not, we need to remember the small victories. Excellent writers aren’t made over night. Let the small victories encourage you until you have the experience and ability to achieve greater things.
Being a bit bullheaded isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Perseverance and bullheadedness are essential for writers learning to handle rejection. If you put your work out for the world to see, rejection will become a big part of your life. The best writers get beyond rejection by writing something else – something new. They keep moving forward, which is another definition for perseverance. They refuse to consider not writing. Bullheadedness or perseverance, you decide.
Non-writers may consider us bullheaded as they ask for the hundredth time, “Do you have your book done yet?” They might see us as bullheaded as they watch us type away on the fifth book when the first four have been turned down. But we know deep in our hearts bullheaded is the wrong description.
Writer, thy name is Perseverance.
