Life Lessons a' la American Idol

Okay, so I got sucked into American Idol this season. I haven't watched it since Kelly Clarkson won....I'm just too much of a bleeding heart boob. Watching Simon tear apart those poor kids (even when they really didn't sing well) just leaves me a blubbering pile of broken-hearted goo. So I steer clear.

However....

My mom was staying with me for a few weeks and I started watching it one night with her. It was group night, where the contestants get together in groups and plan a little performance. And there was this kid, a sweet, very young kid, who was kicked out of his group by an overzealous groupmate because he didn't go with the vibe of the group (or something along those lines).

The real problem....the kid had the voice, but not the looks. And no matter what the other guy said, everyone knew the reason why the sweet little 15 year old was asked to leave the group. Had the kid not been able to sing, I would have been sad for him but probably understood. If the contestants were being judged as a group, I might have understood. But while they were judged on stuff like their harmonies, at the end of the day, they were judged on their individual performances. The sweet kid wouldn't have messed up the groups vocals; he has a wonderful voice. So....yeah....there you have it.

And yes....I was a total crying, slobbering mess. My mom suggested therapy :D But I had to keep watching every week to find out what happened to these two.

They both made it to the next round. I knew the sweet kid wouldn't make it further than that. He really has a beautiful voice, but it needs a few more years to mature. And as much as I hated to admit it, the jerk guy can really sing. Like REALLY. An amazing voice.  He made it to the top 24. The sweet kid did not. And going on voice alone, the jerk guy deserved to be in the finalists.

However.....I never in a million years would have ever voted for him because of what he did to the sweet kid on group night.

And apparently I'm not the only one. He didn't make it into the top 10. And the judges didn't give him a chance for a Wild Card slot.

Here's the thing that I think some of the contestants may not have realized. Image DOES mean a lot in a business where you depend on your audience for success. What you do, what you say, how you act....it all matters. People are watching you, the people who will vote for you or buy your album, or see your movie, or read your book. And fair or not, their opinion of you and your work will be swayed by your actions.

Now, you might have the talent to get you pretty far. But bottom line, if your audience doesn't like or respect you as a person, it's going to hurt you in the long run.

So, what can we as writers learn from the poor guy who let his ambition get ahead of his common decency?

Don't burn bridges. Ever. Do what you need to do to succeed...but not at the expense of others. Pay it forward, don't slap them back. If you get a bad review, thank the reviewer for the time they took from their lives to read your book and move on. A simple "I'm sorry you feel that way but thank you for your time" and leave it at that. A rejection? Take the letter out and burn it if you want, but please refrain from firing back a hateful email to the poor agent. People are entitled to their opinions and unfortunately those opinions are not always going to be in our favor.

This doesn't mean you have to agree to crazy requests, spend all your time helping others at the expense of your own work, or put yourself in situations you don't want to be in. But be kind and professional no matter what the occasion.

Just remember, in businesses such as ours, talent is only a small percentage of what will make us succeed.
When it comes to entertainment, whether it be music, movies, or books, people have a LOT of choice in who they will spend their time with. Don't make it any easier for them to pass you over for the next guy. :)

Ten Word Tuesday

"Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential."

Jessamyn West

An Interview and a Question - Is Talent Necessary?

First of all, I wanted to let everyone know that the awesome writing sisters over at Shooting Stars, Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton, are hosting an Authorly Journeys Week. Several writers are hosting these interviews this week, for those who haven't seen them yet :) Today, Suzy and Beth have an interview with me posted. Head on over to their blog and be sure to stay a while! These ladies are two of the most talented writers I know :)

I came across these quotes the other day and they got me thinking. So I wanted to pick your brains about them :)

Quotes for the Day:

Real seriousness in regard to writing is one of two absolute necessities. 

The other, unfortunately, is talent.

~Ernest Hemingway

I see the notion of talent as quite irrelevant. I see instead perseverance, application, industry, assiduity, will, will, will, desire, desire, desire.

~Gordon Lish

Two great authors, two differing opinions. I tend to fall in the middle. I think you can get quite a ways with sheer hard work and stubbornness. I do firmly believe that if you don't have the drive, passion, and work ethic to put in the time it takes, no amount of talent is going to help you. Perhaps if you have really good editors, you can get away with not having any talent, but you still have to put in the work to get those editors. 

I guess, in a nutshell, I think they go hand in hand. You have to have the will and desire along with the talent. Perhaps the more talented among us have an easier time in some areas - maybe they don't have to revise as much or have an easier time coming up with fresh ideas or new ways of saying something. While I don't think that talent is irrelevant, I also think that busting your butt counts for a lot, and may make up for a lack of some talent.

So, what do you think? Can you be successful in this business if you have no talent but complete drive and passion? Can you be successful if you have the talent, but not the work ethic? 

And here's another question for you - can talent be learned, or perhaps replaced with experience and hard work? Or must you have at least a drop of talent in the blood you shed over your manuscripts?