Marion Dane Bauer

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Is it only the gifted that succeed?

Norman Mailer, by J. Michael LennonIn writing, as in so many pursuits, it’s not the most gifted but the most determined who succeed.  John Berryman thought talent was no more than twenty percent of a poet’s makeup. This is probably true for any type of writer.  Those we hear about are more blessed with luck and persistence than ability and skill.-Norman Mailer