Writing

There’s a saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. But isn’t that what practicing is? In fact, when you do the same thing over and over again, even though the result might not change the first few times, you’ll begin to see improvement later, and thus, the results will be different.

Ever since I’ve heard that saying, I’ve had reservations about it, because in one sense, it’s true, but in another, it’s false. It’s true when there should be no logical difference in the outcome. Meaning, if I were to try over and over again to run at 60 miles per hour, or try to lift an object that weighed ten tons, I’d never be able to do so, because it’s not logically (feasibly) possible. But if I were to play chess against a strong opponent (i.e. the computer), I’d start losing a lot of games at first, but eventually, with enough practice and learning, I might start to win.

Or if I start flipping a coin over and over again, and it keeps landing on tails, that doesn’t mean it won’t land on heads at some point. Or if I write for ten minutes a day, and I can only finish a page in that time–say–for the fifth time, that’s not to say that on the sixth attempt that I couldn’t write more than a page.

When we expect a different result, we can’t expect it on the third, fourth, or even fifth attempt. Sometimes we don’t know when that different result will happen, but it can–eventually–if it is logically possible, and within our means.

In the field of writing, a writer can write for years despite not achieving the success or result that they wanted. According to the aforementioned definition of insanity, wouldn’t writing fall into it? Should a writer quit writing since they were technically doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Not at all. As with any art, writing is a labor of love, one that requires devotion and practice and refinement throughout many years, one in which the result, in some ways, isn’t the end, but just part of the journey.