tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263065698998982328.post218834418980957835..comments2023-10-26T06:36:02.143-07:00Comments on <center>Kevin Lucia</center>: A Cold, Hard Truth.....Kevin Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15766234223662610010noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263065698998982328.post-91427113789597288682011-12-17T08:49:12.330-08:002011-12-17T08:49:12.330-08:00Yeah, #2 is something I've not quite settled o...Yeah, #2 is something I've not quite settled on myself, really. Think it's probably more a mesh of several things than just one thing. <br /><br />And I certainly don't think of writers as "superior", having something others just can't have - because I count myself in the pretty inferior category - but what I'm probably guilty of is reading work of people whom I adore, and thinking to myself: "No matter HOW many hours I put in, I'll never be able to write like that."<br /><br />BUT, I'm also probably doing what I do with my Dad and I all the time - I look at him, and how he's able to fix just about anything, has built small barns by himself by HAND, and try to measure myself against that standard and fall short every time. Of course, it's not a fair comparison - he's got, like, what: 30 years experience on me?<br /><br />Which I suppose highlights again the need for young writers to read ESPECIALLY the work of masters, because how else to judge our failings bit by holding ourselves up against those who HAVE mastered the craft...<br /><br />Thanks for posting!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263065698998982328.post-86290013319360531842011-12-17T07:36:58.324-08:002011-12-17T07:36:58.324-08:00You've touched on a couple themes here that ha...You've touched on a couple themes here that have always interested me, Kevin. And I'm with you 98% of the way... <br /><br />1) Agree 100% that there are *no* guarantees of anything. Hard effort is a necessary, but not sufficient, part of the equation. Without it, you're very unlikely to succeed (whatever that means to you, individually). But hard work is only a means of getting your foot in the door. It's your entry ticket. From that point, a multitude of other variables take over...some within your control, some not. <br /><br />2) The only part of your post I have to take exception to is this: "So it's the same with writing." I would argue that it's *not* the same at all. In athletics, skill mastery is closely tied to genetic advantages. I may love NFL football, but at 140lbs, I'm never gonna get a job playing, no matter how many hours I put in. Most human endeavors don't depend on raw physical attributes to that degree, however. People have learned to play guitar with their feet, paint by holding a brush in their mouth, play chess despite blindness, etc. And they can master these skills at very high levels. Skill mastery, in most arenas, is about Time + Concentrated Practice, because most skills are reliant on the brain, not the body.<br /><br />As you correctly imply, though, there are two different topics in play, here: Mastery, verses Success. Acquiring some level of Mastery is *not* always equivalent with Success (financial or otherwise).<br /><br />Two books on the subject I would recommend to any writer: "Talent is Overrated" by Geoffrey Colvin, and "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. Both are very readable explanations of the research into this question of what we call "giftedness."Alan Ohttp://www.alanoathout.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com