Talent or Guts?

Today's Quote of the Week is:

"Talent is helpful in writing, 

but guts are absolutely necessary."

- Jessamyn West

So many of us are held back by our own feelings of inadequacy. We think, "We're not smart enough. We're not good enough. We're not talented enough." And we may not be. Yet.

But that's not all that matters!

Sure, it's helpful.

But having guts in this business is a necessity. It's a tough world. To quote Sarah M. Eden (from my interview on her blog last Friday) "I decided to become a writer because ninja was just too easy."


First, you have to have guts to put your thoughts on paper. Next, it takes guts to let anyone actually read what you've written. Then when you're ready, you have to face the world of rejection from agents, editors, and publishers. And after all that, when you've finally made it in the writing world, when you finally have that New York Times' Bestselling Novel, you have to face the criticism of your beloved readers. Because lets face it, not everyone will love your book. And that's okay. More people will love it!

So go ahead. Put yourself out there. Prepare to be rejected. It takes guts.

Do you have guts?

This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.