You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.
Interpretation
Success in writing requires patience and persistence, as initial efforts may feel better than they truly are.
This quote by Octavia Butler emphasizes the importance of persistence in the writing process. It suggests that most individuals do not immediately excel at writing; instead, they often produce subpar work while believing it's of good quality. Over time, with dedication and continuous practice, one can improve their skills significantly. This reflects a broader truth about personal and professional growth, needing both patience and perseverance to achieve success.
In practice
In a writing workshop when discussing the process of developing one's style.
What I'm working on now - I'm back to fantasy, although considering that it's me, I'm turning it into a kind of science fantasy. It's a vampire story - but my vampires are biological vampires. They didn't become vampires because someone bit them; they were born that way.
Slavery was a long slow process of dulling.
Here I was into astronomy, and here into anthropology, and there I go into geology. It was much more fun to be able to research and write about whatever I wanted to.
There is no end To what a living world Will demand of you.
Better to stay alive," I said. "At least while there's a chance to get free." I thought of the sleeping pills in my bag and wondered just how great a hypocrite I was. It was so easy to advise other people to live with their pain.
Third, for people who aren't doing it already, take classes - they're worthwhile. Workshops or classes - a workshop is where you do actually get feedback on your work, not just something where you go and sit for a day.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of. _x000D_ _x000D_ Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.
Be not merely good. Be good for something.
Your character defects are not where you're bad, but where you're wounded. But no matter who or what causes the wound, it's yours now and you're responsible for it.
Forgiveness is a selective remembering. It is a conscious choice to focus on someone's innocence instead of his or her mistakes...This serves *you*...Your body was not created to bear the burden of your overattachment to it, but was created as a container for the light of your spirit. It will more easily remember how to function perfectly when you remember the perfection in everyone.
Desire makes everything blossom; possession makes everything wither and fade.
Knowledge is power. If it is not applied properly to create, let there be no doubts, it will destroy.
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