In an interview of novelist Irving A. Greenfield, I remember him responding to my question about the key to writing success with a wry smile and a blunt, “There are no shortcuts.” His comment clarified for me the adage about perspiration outweighing inspiration.
Believe me, I know it. With few financial rewards over the years, I continue to write into the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning for one reason—I have to. Don’t ask me why; I have no answer.
Yet my book How to Write Fast Under Pressure focuses quite a bit on the attitude necessary for a writer to get through a workday with mounting report, proposal, e-mail demands. With attitude comes inspiration. Writer Fred White does a fine job in making this point in an online article “7 Reasons Inspiration Matters to Writers” for Writer’s Digest. He deftly discusses the delicate but interdependent balance between needing (discipline) and wanting (inspiration) to write.
