Yesterday, we talked about jumping in to write. You don’t have to wait for permission or a signed certificate or an engraved invitation: just do it.

Sometimes starting is the hardest part. Lots of people find staring at that blank page intimidating. (Not me: it’s the words that scare me 😉 ). But sometimes it’s not starting: it’s going on.

Good writers make writing look easy, but it’s not. Things worth doing, and worth doing well, seldom are. Writing takes perseverance. Publishing takes even more. It’s easy to get discouraged and feel like you’ll never get this word/scene/book right, or you’ll never get published.

But I like to tell myself the biggest difference between a published author and an unpublished one is persistence. Every athlete and every artist has stories of adversity, whether it’s from opposition from those around them (check) or struggling to better themselves (check). Every time we move past one of those, we get stronger and better—and closer to our goals—as long as we don’t let it defeat us. We gotta keep on keepin’ on.

What do you think? How has opposition helped you get better?