Friday, October 12, 2012

Lesson Learned: The TV Show The Voice and The Writer's Voice

I was watching The Voice the other night and had a bit of an epiphany.

There are two approaches to gain fame -
  1. Do something extremely well
  2. Do something in a way that no one else does.

In other words talent doesn't cut it....


There are many talented singers out there, and may talented writers as well.  Being talented in and of itself doesn't guarantee success. If you are relying on talent, you have to be exceptional, elite, prodigious.

I view ridiculously talented singers as such people as Christina Aguilera and Josh Groban.

For writers, you can lump in Stephen King, John Grisham, Ayn Rand and Suzanne Collins.

But, don't think that these folks rely on talent alone.  Their work ethic is as crucial to their success as their talent.

So what do you do if you aren't Steven King?


This is point number 2.  Do something in a way that nobody else does.  It sounds easy, but it is extremely difficult. There are only a handful of people I can think of that are so unique that nobody else can even imitate them.

For singers I think of Freddie Mercury and Mariah Carey.

For writers I think about Salman Rushdie (he's like reading SAT study material), Maya Angelou, and Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange.

Find a unique voice takes time, practice, and experimentation.  It's also more likely not to be understood.

Either way, the road won't be easy.  However, with dedication and perserverance, all you need is one chance for the right person to see your stuff and who knows what can happen.

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