Posted here both to share with others, and so that I can refer back to it:
“To be successful, the artist in any field has to be in the right place at the right time.
The right time is in the lap of the gods, but any mother’s son or daughter can work his/her way to the right place and wait.”
–Stephen King, Danse Macabre
That’s funny. Are we getting something from you this week?
Sadly, no. My cycle this summer appears to have fallen into the following pattern:
1) Get Sick.
2) Fall Behind on Adamant Work.
3) Feel Better.
4) Catch Up on Adamant Work.
5) Finally Get Caught Up, and Ready To Write Fiction Again.
6) Get Sick.
…and repeat ad nauseum.
I’m not particularly happy about it.
I also like what he mentions in the forward about humans not knowing what they actually think about any subject until they write about it.
I suppose that considering you’ve found yourself inflicted with curl-into-a-ball-and-whimper-as-if-your-life-depended-on-it pain… I will endeavor not to give you a hard time.
Unless you know.. a hard time is what you want…
Fair enough.
For my own part, I’ve noticed that success seems to come one of two ways:
1. Being in the right place at the right time. Talent strictly optional.
2. Making things happen. Ye old bootstraps method. At least some talent required, but a lot of bullheadedness essential.
Me, I’ve never managed #1. I’m just not that lucky. So what success I’ve had–and I like to think I have had modest success thus far–I’ve achieved by #2. It’s slow, grueling, and difficult, but it can work out.
And yes, it’s particularly obnoxious to do things that way and then encounter people who scored the other route and b*tch about how hard it was for them.
Well, #2 is how I read the original quote: He’s saying that you work your butt off, so that you’re in the right place when the “right time” happens.
I love that.
That makes sense. But I think it’s important to stress that you can make the right time happen too, or at least speed it along. You don’t have to wait for it to hit you, even once you’re in the right place.
I think Danse Macabre (“dance McBare!”) is my favorite King book, hands down.
CU