Patience

I saw this fisherman one day at the beach. He stood there for a long time. While I was there, he didn't catch anything, but he sure had a lot of patience.

I haven't gone fishing in a long time. When I was a youngster, I fished in the lake behind our house. My brother put the worm on the hook for me. It was exciting when I caught a fish, but most of the time fishing required quiet. I had to sit and wait, and wait. I was never fond of fishing.

Writing requires patience, too. Unlike fishing, writing is a nice, clean activity. However, it requires hours and hours of time. In addition, the odds of becoming rich are rather low. Then there are the rejections, the rewrites, and the marketing.

Marketing is the most annoying thing about writing for me. It's almost equivalent to putting a slimy worm on a hook, but to catch readers that's what a writer has to do. A writer has to be patient in marketing. It's an ongoing activity and the rewards aren't always immediately obvious. But just like that fisherman, you reel in the line, cast off again, and wait.

But in the meantime, you can write another book and that's the fun part. 😊