tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post7625341622563888481..comments2024-02-16T04:42:50.005-05:00Comments on QueryTracker Blog: Best Writing Advice: There's No Such Thing As TalentPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17771807777617244491noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-26390231807909532542015-07-17T12:06:45.245-04:002015-07-17T12:06:45.245-04:00You know my sentiments on this, so all I can reall...You know my sentiments on this, so all I can really add is "here, here." :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14755236393486098873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-39636862119956597742015-07-17T09:44:11.663-04:002015-07-17T09:44:11.663-04:00Great, grounding article. I especially loved the l...Great, grounding article. I especially loved the lines: "Sometimes things come easier for one person than another, but in every project you take on, something will come easier for someone else. And there is nothing that cannot be taught." We'll hear talent praised so much, that I think it can become easy for writers, when they struggle, to presume that they're just not talented and give up. And it's easy to fall into this trap, because when we read other people's books, we're looking at professionally edited manuscripts that the authors have spent years writing and even more years honing their craft. And we don't see any of that behind-the-scenes work. We just see our in-progress manuscripts, still riddled with weaknesses, and assume there is some problem innate with us. But writing is a craft. It takes time and effort to master. It's important to remember that everyone has their strengths and struggles in writing, that everyone had to start somewhere, and that no one gets published without persistence and lots of hard work. <br /><br />--Sam Taylor, AYAP InternAdventures in YA Publishinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01988552171385111119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-88684436110297445122015-07-16T14:19:54.573-04:002015-07-16T14:19:54.573-04:00ProvidenceMine, thank you for your thoughtful resp...ProvidenceMine, thank you for your thoughtful response! I'm honestly so scared to read "Go Set a Watchman," although I'm sure it would be interesting just in terms of seeing how she got from a mediocre manuscript to an American classic.<br /><br />Thankfully, I've never had any lousy writing teachers; it was pretty much my hubris that kept me from learning what they taught. (I was good at spelling, grammar, and sentence flow, so I *obviously* had nothing left to learn...)<br /><br />Keep writing if you enjoy it! It can be a rewarding experience, same as art. I'm definitely glad I haven't let my lousy art teacher keep me from practicing. :)Rochelle Deanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16271141110156759825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-2347865927849042022015-07-16T08:26:38.093-04:002015-07-16T08:26:38.093-04:00Thank you very much for this post! When Michael Jo...Thank you very much for this post! When Michael Jordan started out in Basketball he was supposed to be pretty miserable and nobody thought he'd amount to much, but he worked at his craft to become one of the greatest players of all time in the NBA. Harper Lee wrote a first manuscript called Go Set A Watchman which lacked focus and had some weak writing, but then an editor told her to zero in on the little girl and the memories of her father in the book. She did, and in two years finished To Kill A Mockingbird. Your lovely article is one that I wish I saw more of back in the day when I wanted to write. <br /><br />On the art side, I had a lousy art teacher also. I had some lousy writing teachers as well, but years after college I picked up some really fine books like Writing Down The Bones and that started me on my way again. Of course, I put off writing at times but I enjoy it far more than I did when I was stuck listening to some jerk professor who believed that 'you either had it or you didn't.' Too bad Natalie Goldberg and Betty Edwards weren't teaching in my college.ProvidenceMinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09712502700717607462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454222325290313520.post-19711482814023073502015-07-16T05:58:24.255-04:002015-07-16T05:58:24.255-04:00Many a true word spoken in jest! Great post, amusi...Many a true word spoken in jest! Great post, amusing but oh, so true. Jackie Buxtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02186723392553752533noreply@blogger.com