"I always had this non-stop drive. I had to keep sending stories out and every once in awhile I'd get something accepted or get the little trickle of positive feedback"
About this Quote
Relentless output, not sudden inspiration, is the quiet engine behind most “overnight” writing careers. Kevin J. Anderson frames ambition as a kind of physical momentum: “non-stop drive” suggests compulsion more than choice, a motor that keeps running even when the road is empty. That phrasing matters because it rejects the romantic myth of the writer waiting for lightning. Instead, the work is industrial: keep sending, keep circulating, keep knocking.
The line about “every once in awhile” and “the little trickle” is doing more than modesty. It captures the lopsided economy of validation in publishing, where effort is continuous and reward is sporadic. Anderson isn’t describing a breakthrough; he’s describing conditioning. Those small acceptances become reinforcement pellets, just enough to keep the machine going through long stretches of silence. Calling it a “trickle” also undercuts any fantasy of instant applause. The feedback is not a flood, not even a stream; it’s barely measurable, but psychologically crucial.
Contextually, Anderson’s career in genre fiction and tie-in universes (where deadlines, volume, and persistence are part of the job) makes this ethos feel lived-in rather than aspirational. The intent reads as advice without posing as a manifesto: success arrives as a byproduct of staying in motion. Subtext: talent may open a door, but stamina keeps you in the building, filing submissions until the industry can’t ignore your name.
The line about “every once in awhile” and “the little trickle” is doing more than modesty. It captures the lopsided economy of validation in publishing, where effort is continuous and reward is sporadic. Anderson isn’t describing a breakthrough; he’s describing conditioning. Those small acceptances become reinforcement pellets, just enough to keep the machine going through long stretches of silence. Calling it a “trickle” also undercuts any fantasy of instant applause. The feedback is not a flood, not even a stream; it’s barely measurable, but psychologically crucial.
Contextually, Anderson’s career in genre fiction and tie-in universes (where deadlines, volume, and persistence are part of the job) makes this ethos feel lived-in rather than aspirational. The intent reads as advice without posing as a manifesto: success arrives as a byproduct of staying in motion. Subtext: talent may open a door, but stamina keeps you in the building, filing submissions until the industry can’t ignore your name.
Quote Details
| Topic | Perseverance |
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