Patience

Patience, it is said, is a virtue.  I am not a patient person.  For instance, once I decide on a course of action, I want to do it and be done with it.  But much of life requires us to be patient.

I'm sure you can think of a myriad of instances where patience is necessary.  Often, because it is necessary, we learn to be patient.  What alternative do we have?  The real question is will we let that patience work in us or will we let our impatience ruin the moment.

Writing a book is one of those areas for me that requires patience. It takes time to write that many words to start with, but it is more than that.  To say that I had all of the details of my story worked out in my head before I began writing would be an out and out lie.  It has taken time to discover my characters, their thoughts and feelings, and the experiences they will have.  It cannot nor should not be rushed.

I have read books by well-known authors who got impatient with later works, not taking the time to properly edit or work out the kinks in the story.  It shows - impatience has ruined the moment.  Fortunately, that is the exception and not the rule.  If anything, I usually notice a greater maturity in later works.  Patience with one book and then multiple books has performed its work and deeper, richer books are the result.

I don't know about you, but I don't like the process of learning to be patient.  However, I like who I become when that learning is done.