Writing's Hidden Secret: Determination

Any writer who's been around for a while has heard a variation on the question of what it takes to be a good writer. The closest thing to a good answer I've heard has been determination. It's something that few writers talk about directly, even though they'll discuss logging large amounts of research time or submitting that novel to one more publisher. Every good writer I know well has multiple experiences of not being able to get a bit of information, a source, a section of an article to read well ... something ... and then continuing to push until things worked themselves out.

I had this happen recently in a business/law article, needing another in-house corporate source, and finally getting the main intellectual property lawyer at a huge corporation and perfect fit on the phone for a solid hour of conversation. The only reason I got an interview I wanted is because I never gave up. It can get a bit hair-raising, but I think determination is the real difference between being decent and really good. You must become completely unwilling to accept anything but what you are intent on getting. This sounds heavy-handed, but it's not. There's no brow-beating or begging involved. You just keep at it and at it until ... suddenly something comes along. It's the same attitude necessary to make enough money in writing and to write a good piece as well. You'll still miss the mark at times, but if you combine this with setting your goals high enough, you'll at least end up where you need to be.