How Hard Could it Be?
Wherein Our
Heroine Does not Downplay the Difficulty.
In the world of endeavor, there are
difficult things that look difficult, and there are difficult things that look
easy (or easier than they truly are, at any rate). Many, if not most, Olympic
sports fall into the first category. No matter how "easy" an Olympic diver
makes a triple whatnot with a half-twist look, it is hard to ignore the work
necessary to produce that dive. For the second category, certain forms of art
and literature are easy marks for those who like to say, "How hard could it
be?"
I am not sure how many
people who have uttered those immortal words have actually attempted the thing
that they dismiss, but I am willing to bet it is small. It is easy to sit on
the sidelines and scoff at an effort you scorn to attempt. It is hard to make
the attempt itself - that is, to
really
make the attempt to produce something of worth. As soon as you set brush to
canvas or fingertips to keyboard, it becomes evident that talent, practice, hard
work, or some combination of any or all of them is necessary to produce
something you would be willing to show to someone whose honest opinion you
valued.
I have had some kind
friends suggest I write a novel. I am not ready yet - I know this. But when I
finally set out on this endeavor, it will not begin with, "How hard could it
be?" Nobody likes to try for a swan dive and end up with a belly
flop.
Posted: Monday - January 31, 2005 at 08:31 AM
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