Rocky Balboa has become more than a simple movie character. He’s an icon. He has inspired athletes for years with his underdog story, his dedication, and his determination. His training sequences have been shown in football locker rooms in high schools all over the country to motivate players.
But does Rocky have anything for writers? You bet he does. Get ready to have some motivation knocked in to you. Take it to heart and you’ll have the publishers down for a ten count.
- Never give up, no matter the odds.
Getting published is hard. The odds are stacked against you. If you never give up and keep trying, it can happen.
- Keep training even when it seems you’re going nowhere
Rejections happen. You’ll write a lot and seem to be going nowhere at all. But the writing isn’t in vain. Each piece helps you hone your skills and move closer to your goal.
- You never know when your big break will come
Not only does it take skill to get published, but there is a little bit of luck involved as well. You never know when that one person who reads your story will be the one that likes it enough to take a chance on it.
- Know your competition
Know what others who write in your genre are writing. Discover what will set you apart from them. People take notice and you’ll come out on top.
- Keep your eye on the prize
Life happens. Things come up and get in the way. But to get published, you have to keep your eye on the prize. Dedication and determination is the difference between a published author and a writer.
These are just a handful of what I came up with. If you have any lessons Rocky can teach us about writing, please share them with us in the comments below.
Just when you find the voice or story you feel will take you where you need to go as a writer something comes up. You start taking shots from life, wife, kids, job, rent, food, it all lands on you at once until you can’t see the voice, you forget the story, and in a moment of despair you sag in the corner. You want to quit, but you can’t; you don’t know how to turn away because you can’t live with yourself if you do. You can barely live with yourself as it is.
This is when you say the immortal words: “Cut me Mick.” And you answer the bell again and again.
“ADRIAN! AAAAADRIAN!”
Good post. Love the Rocky idea. Now I need a cheesesteak.
Dave
Love your take away, Dave! It’s hard not to be inspired after watching Rocky, no matter what you may do.