Inspiration, Anointing or Hard Work?

“Don’t wait for inspiration because inspiration takes long vacations.”
-A writing quote I read long, long ago

It’s interesting to me that Christian musicians worry about “the anointing,” while writers are apprehensive about getting an “inspiration.” (I can’t help but wonder if there’s a similarity here between preaching (under the anointing) and (inspired) teaching.) They’re two different callings requiring a distinctive mastery of specific talents. What they both require for continuous success is a mastery of craft.

Between practice (which is often imitation) and inspiration (which can be unadulterated creativity), there is craft, the perfecting of the tools within your trade so that inspiration flows more perfectly. Craft is an exponential magnitude of practice, for practice can be a deadening repetition, while craft is a dedicated sharpening of skills.

Ron touched on this when he discussed guitar tones, but I am unaware of this subject being a topic of discussion within our movement in any serious manner.

Genius Status
Some years ago I read an interview that said genius could be attained in a particular field when you devoted 10,000 hours (almost 5 years worth of 40 hour weeks) toward it. That would be 10,000 hours of craft.

Frankly, after editing articles for this zine for almost eight years, the easiest way I can spot a rank amateur is in their insistence that no word in their piece be changed; often they imply every word was inspired by God. That’s someone who has writing talent but never writes. (Similar to ice skating, it is only the beginners who count how many times they fall; the regulars are too busy focusing on skills improvement, even if it’s as simple as skating faster and stopping quicker.)

We expect carpenters and bricklayers to apprentice, and doctors to spend a year in residency, but writers are just supposed to wait for heavenly inspiration? Ridiculous!

For us, craft is taking instruction from writing books, reading the classics and author interviews, finding a writing group (local or online), and enrolling in classes to better the work(s) in progress. It’s geeking out over the perfect use of an adverb. It’s learning, practicing, failing, and then mastering the boring little stuff to reach maximum effectiveness.

It’s writing at least 500 words/1 page every day of our life (although Stephen King recommends 1,500 words/ 3 pages). It’s sacrificing other activities, important activities, to write with no hint of a reward.

Craft, not inspiration, is the overlooked, underappreciated bridge to sustained excellence. And it’s the bridge none of us want to cross. Unless we’re willing to accept Christ’s calling in our lives.

Me? I’ve still got 1,368 hours to go.