A conversation on talent and productivity between Amit Varma and Ajay Shah

“The two superpowers are curiosity and endurance.”

Ajay Shah, 27:05

Ajay’s superpower comment reminded me of Octavia Butler‘s thoughts on talent and persistence. From her essay Furor Scribendi:

First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.

Forget talent. If you have it, fine. Use it. If you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter. As habit is more dependable than inspiration, continued learning is more dependable than talent. Never let pride or laziness prevent you from learning, improving your work, changing its direction when necessary. Persistence is essential to any writer — the persistence to finish your work, to keep writing in spite of rejection, to keep reading, studying, submitting work for sale.

Butler, Octavia E. Bloodchild and Other Stories. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2005. pp125.