What does The Terminator have in common with writers?

 

Recently my husband watched an old favorite of his, the first of the Terminator movies. Thankfully, I was otherwise occupied. However, he later told me one of the reasons the movie is re-watchable because he likes the single-mindedness of the Terminator. He’s on a mission, and nothing, absolutely nothing, will stand in his way.

Single-mindedness is what we should have in common with The Terminator.

Of course, having such single-mindedness comes with a price if it isn’t tempered with the rest of life. We can’t ignore our families, friends, jobs that actually pay something, or our responsibilities. We can’t be so focused on getting published that we set aside all that, nor can we set aside our values to get what we want. But to be healthily focused, we’re willing to work hard at our craft. We’re willing to read voraciously, study the craft, hone it, risk rejection, start over if necessary, and be unbelievably determined despite the odds against us.

But single-minded focus isn’t enough. The Terminator was programmed for success—in other words, he had the talent needed for his mission. (Setting aside for the moment that, at least in the first movie, he was the bad guy and—spoiler alert—failed, but I hope you see where I’m taking this.) So it is with us. We need to be focused, which means we must work hard, but we also need talent.

How do we know if we have the talent it takes?

We must put ourselves to the test.

We have to get out there, not hide our work under a bushel. For a new writer, it means allowing others to read your work, entering contests for unbiased feedback (entering not with a hope of winning, but with the hope of learning something).

Feedback is the only way to get a glimpse of whether or not we have talent. We can and should ask others for feedback on our work—but we can’t stop with friends and family members who might have a bias. We must put our work in front of others who have no vested interest in making us feel good. It’s through the reaction of others that we can see if we have talent or not.

So we join critique groups and learn to read the reaction of others to see if our words invoke the kind of response we desire. We also join multiple contests that pit our work against others—multiple because all contest judges come with their own biases and tastes, so we need to take the average, not rely on one or two contest results. And we withstand the rejection period in order to gain whatever feedback we can from professionals in the industry. That’s putting ourselves to the talent test.

For published writers, our talent has been proven because the industry has invested in that talent. Awards, sales figures, and reader feedback are all measurements of talent in this competitive market. But even with all that, published authors should keep their focus on improving the craft, making the next book better than the last.

Single-mindedness with passion makes any task less daunting. Passion makes the learning process worthwhile, the work seem lighter, the burdens bearable, the results more satisfying.

Maybe next time that movie is on, I’ll watch it.

Nah…