 | 11 Oct 06 |
When I first started writing, I had been in business for more years than I cared to remember. At first, I thought the two entities (writing and business) had absolutely nothing in common, so I tried separating the two. It didn’t take long for me to realize how big a mistake that assumption was. Writing is a business, just different from the ones I was used to. Needless to say, though, as I restructured my thinking and attempted to merge the two together, I met with frustration of the highest order. Argg! As some of you have heard me spout off about before, publishing does not follow any standard business practice known to man, woman, or wooly-back orangutan. It’s its own worst enemy at times.
That being said, however, I decided to take the advice of a man I’d admired for years. One whose wisdom had helped me understand the meaning of success, which inevitably moved me up the ladder in quite a few corporations. I figured, why not use those same principles in writing?
So I did. And I’ll be damn if they didn’t prove to be just as true in the publishing business as in any other venture.
I thought I’d share some of that guy’s wisdom with you today….
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.
The spirit, the will to win and the will to excel-these are the things that endure and these are the qualities that are so much more important than any of the events that occasion them.
Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there.
Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent’s pressure, and the temporary failures.
If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.
Remember, it’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
—-Vince Lombardi
What or who has inspired you to keep pushing forward when things got tough in this business?
© 2006, Deborah LeBlanc. All rights reserved.
Deborah LeBlanc is an award-winning author and business owner from Lafayette, Louisiana. She's also a licensed death scene investigator and an active member of two national paranormal investigation teams.
She is the president of the Horror Writers Association, president of the Writers' Guild of Acadiana, president of Mystery Writers of America's Southwest Chapter, and an active member of Sisters in Crime, Novelists Inc, and International Thriller Writers Inc. In 2004, she created the LeBlanc Literacy Challenge, an annual national campaign designed to encourage more people to read, and founded Literacy Inc. a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting illiteracy in America’s teens. She also takes her passion for literacy and a powerful ability to motivate to high schools around the country.
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Very good words of wisdom, but Deb I expected Lombardi from Karin…
I have to reformulate my mental image of Deb. Now I’m imagining funerals with LSU motifs.
by Cele October 11th, 2006 at 7:31 amI’m most inspired by my dad. He passed away a couple of years ago, but I’ll never forget the lessons he taught me. ‘Anything worth having is worth fighting for.’ ‘Winning doesn’t mean anything unless you earn it.’ He would race me home from the park and always win. I would pout, like little girls do, and whine that I didn’t win. He would tell me it wouldn’t mean anything if he let me win and someday he would be old and I would be young and strong and I would win because I could.
by Amanda October 11th, 2006 at 9:19 amI’m most inspired by my own inability to admit defeat. If I can’t make something work, I will exhaust every possibility until I pull it off. I don’t think I’m arrogant, though. It’s not ME inspiring me. It really DOES come down to will. I just don’t want to say I have failed. I don’t have a problem ADMITTING it when I do fail, but maybe that’s because I’ve given it everything I have. (For example, I failed miserably at sewing. And I will NEVER be good at it.)
When I decide to do something, I really won’t give up until I have done everything possible to make it happen. I set a lofty goal when I decided I was going to get published by a NY house, and even though I was tempted so many times to just give up, I always pushed forward. I wasn’t going to admit defeat.
That stubborn streak my parents bemoaned so many times finally paid off.
by Natalie October 11th, 2006 at 9:26 amLOL, now THAT’s an image, Cele!
It sounds like your dad had a lot of wisdom, Amanda. I’m sorry he’s no longer with you, but he sure left a great legacy behind–you.
Nat, you’re one of the least arrogant people I know. It does all come down to will, girl, and yours is made of steel.
by Deb October 11th, 2006 at 11:17 amIt’s funny that you quoted Vince Lombardi. One of my favorite quotes is from him as well. Something like: “Perfection is impossible, but if you strive for perfection you’ll achieve excellence.”
by Allison October 11th, 2006 at 11:22 amGood quote, Allison. I have a large, framed poster of his quotes on my office wall. Sometimes, when things get really tough, I want to throw a tomato at it, but overall, they really help gig me past a slump.
by Deb October 11th, 2006 at 1:12 pmI’m not a very inspiring person, especially compared to all you! Most of the time, it’s just the need to pay the bills that keeps me plugging away. And, as corny as it sounds, writing feels like what I’m “supposed” to be doing. It fits comfortably and I generally feel even-keeled when I write.
When the writing’s easy and/or readers write me, then I still get a little “high” that is motivating, but when it’s hard or discouraging … I don’t know. Honestly, I just yell and growl at myself until I improve or get what needs done, done. Sounds like I need to get some Lombardi posters!
by spyscribbler October 11th, 2006 at 1:47 pmThat’s a really good question, Deb. I wasn’t sure I knew the answer… but what I kept thinking was – my characters. If I don’t keep going, they’ll never BE – so that’s what makes me keep on.
by Alex October 11th, 2006 at 7:50 pmFor inspiration, I think along the lines of………….
Myself.
Cheesy, I know. But for me writing is more of keeping myself in check. If I don’t do it, i really will loose my mind. Part of having problems like depression hardwired into the system, I guess. But for me, writing is just as much therapy as it is creating. Guess you could say I have “true artistic temperment.”
Therefore, all my business cards and stationary say :
“If I don’t write, my head will explode.”
Cuz sometimes, it just might.
by Candice Gilmer October 12th, 2006 at 6:56 pm