Do you have tenacity?

Would-be writers may not realize in the beginning that they need tenacity to do the job of "writer". But, every writer needs tenacity, almost above all other writing skills and traits.

Tenacity in writing is similar to having a painful or bothersome splinter that insists someone take care of it. The splinter produces an ache or pounding sensation, as it continues to swell and redden each day. The slightest touch reminds you of its presence. Though such a tiny thing, it hurts as though a knife dug into the flesh.

Words must be placed onto paper; an idea must birth itself through scads of paper or multiple computer "pages." If truly engrossed in writing, Writers hardly notice such things as word and page counts, and never notice until they face the editing process. Words fill sentences that fill paragraphs, until an article or booklet or book forms from itself. Sometimes, writers forgo sleep, food, and any other interest, just to spend time writing! Hours pass. Days pass in similar pursuits. The splinter aches too much to ignore.

We find ourselves annoying the splinter that annoys us. We rub it, press it, squeeze it (gently!). We scrape a nail edge across the spot where we think the miniscule splinter punctured the skin. Unable to see its edge sometimes, we still try to grasp it between nail edges or tweezers. We scrape some more. IF ONLY we could grasp the smallest piece. IF ONLY we could pull it, twist it, lift it, slide it forward. We DIG. Yes, we dig into layers of skin, trying to excavate where the splinter tunneled inward. We think if we tunnel enough, we can force the invasive thing out of us. Like writing, though, often we fail to even touch the real words we wish we could say. Although thoughts slide from us sometimes, more often splinters are raised only with the biggest battles, the most trying hours, and most annoying pain. Yes, it requires tenacity to dig out hard to grasp splinters, and tenacity to grasp a single idea and place it into words and images others will easily understand.

Writing has more than one "tenacious" part, whether it's finding a precise word or simply continuing to work on the writing craft. Each day, mental processes must open creatively. Brain cells become dictionaries. Only when we cannot think of the word we wish do we then turn to real dictionaries as books or online databases. Writers now can even find rhyming dics online - what wonderful choices we have today! And, sometimes, even references cannot help us find words for just how we wish to communicate and describe. What agony.

How much tenacity do you have as a writer? Do you --

• Sometimes ignore "real life" to write?
• Write until you can't think, or hold a pen / type one more letter?
• Wish you could search for definitions--how YOU want to say something--just to find ONE word that fits the best?
• Become aggravated when metaphors fail?
• Always think you could do better--so you try again tomorrow?
• Believe you have something worthwhile to say, if only you could SAY it?
• Know you must communicate via writing, so your Being insists you WRITE?
• Do you stick to writing and editing tasks long past when your non-writer friends would have given up?

If these describe you, your writing tenacity is high. It's hard to ignore splinters you get, but once you have one, you must do something about it.

Judith