Fast or Slow, and does it really Matter?

A SPRINT? There are some prolific writers out there. They wow us with their ability to produce material and to do it rapidly, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Goodness. They truly amaze. They know how to sprint to the finish line and get the job done in mere seconds (days). They have learned how to do it, hire the babysitters, hire out certain tasks, make connections, get up in the wee hours, make every minute count…yada, yada, yada. It has to take passion and determination to work so hard and do so much and with lots of energy. The quick finishers have an advantage. They get the book done in a hurry, and another, and another.  Doing it well is the challenge, but they have resources that help them. I do believe living a disciplined life is essential for the sprinter. They must know what they are about–translated–the confidence to do it.

A MARATHON? Then there are the rest of us. We are the  marathoners. It takes us a long time to do the job, but we sustain the effort, pace ourselves for the long haul, keep hydrated, and do it and do it well. It’s not just about finishing the race, but it’s about how we run the race. Learning and doing, learning and doing, improvement and application, improvement and application. It just keeps on building, a layer upon another layer until we start gaining ground on our opponents, even winning a race once in awhile. We notice our competitors. There’s the in-born natural talent, and then there’s the hard work variety, sometimes both together.  The marathon writers hone their skills and do whatever it takes to endure to the end, even when the side is aching, the legs are burning, and the mouth is dry.

PREPARATION. It has a lot to do with how you prepare and what you have eaten. Like the athlete, we must keep ourselves current and in shape or the industry will leave us behind. In a sense, I think writing is a marathon for both groups because it is ever changing. Endurance is a required ability for the writer, one that is gained and developed over time. In writing, the person who wants to make it, must be able to improve, learn, and then sustain the effort. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

PERSISTENCE. Successful writing has a lot to do with purposed endeavor. We won’t get anywhere if we don’t determine to give it the effort it deserves. The other day I was doing some research when I came across a book written by a medical doctor. I started perusing its pages online. The errors were jumping out at me, grammatical errors and errors in syntax were in almost every paragraph, yet I kept reading because I enjoyed the book’s message. It seemed such a shame because the ideas were soundly presented and well thought out. I asked myself, Why are there so many errors? I checked out the author’s bio and found out she was from a non-English speaking country. Ah-ha. Then it made sense. The book must have been self-published or published in her country by other ESL personnel.  I thought of all the books she must have purchased that haven’t sold. She must be disheartened. Looking at the book’s ranking confirmed that it was not doing well. It saddened me.

HURDLES. There are some things you must not compromise or ignore while running the marathon or you will collapse to the ground. A poorly written book will always be a poorly written book. It doesn’t have what it takes to make it shelf-worthy. It was so unnecessary, a wasted effort. There were no positive book reviews posted either. How could there be?  The sad thing is, her book has a credible purpose and positive mission. She was writing in an effort to expose an important idea that funneled out of her medical practice. I wanted to say, “You need to do a revision. I volunteer to edit your book. Let’s make the necessary corrections to make it sing.” I want her to get it right. A major deterrent is that editing is costly (and some publishers are taking advantage, but that’s another story). Editing is a hurdle in the hurdles race! One must expect it in the self-publishing industry.

SPRINT or a MARATHON? Both are great. Prepare, do your best, and do it right.

Happy Writing!
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N. L. Brumbaugh, with an author’s perspective

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