Novelists' Luck

"I always say the same thing: Talk yourself out of it if you can, which is the same advice I would give somebody if they're about to get married. Because, if you can't talk yourself out of it, you're on your way to a vocation, I think....I would not really like to encourage people along a line of endeavor which will finally not reward them. And, much more importantly, not reward other people. Because once you've found you can do this -- which is to say you can write to the end of a novel; you can write a novel that someone can read -- then all of your attention finally turns outward to those people who will be reading it to the point of 'What can I do for you?' What can I make that you will find useful?' And that's very unlikely to happen to anybody. It has nothing to do with talent, it has nothing to do with genius. It maybe doesn't have anything to do with perseverance. It has largely to do with luck."

- Richard Ford, (Link courtesy TEV.)