On Writing

Writing is about challenging yourself, practice, and the determination to do both. It's also about the openness and willingness to learn, knowing your abilities and limits, and when to admit defeat and say, "I will learn to do better." It's a skill that keeps evolving, and you'll have your good and bad days. Sometimes it's rigid, but at its best, it's fluid; mastering this skill takes years, many of reaching rock bottom. Even after you've strung the words out to dry, you cringe over every letter, every sentence. It's made worse when you have a chance to click "undo" -- you're published, but the obsession never stops. 

Ta-Nehisi Coates on writing: "I always consider the entire process about failure, and I think that's the reason why more people don't write."

Posted by The Atlantic on Wednesday, August 5, 2015