'Have the willingness to fail"

 

 “I don't teach writing. I teach patience. Toughness. Stubbornness. The willingness to fail. I teach life. The odd thing is most of the things that stop an inexperienced writer are so far from the truth as to be nearly beside the point. When you feel doubt about your talent, that is your talent. People who have no talent don't have any doubt.” ― Richard Bausch

 

Born an identical twin at Fort Benning, GA in 1945, Bausch is a novelist, short story writer and Professor in the Writing Program at Chapman University in Orange, CA.  He is the author of 13 novels – highlighted by the multi-award winning Peace – 9 short story collections and 1 volume of poetry.  His most recent novel is 2023’s Playhouse.

 

His twin brother Robert, who died of cancer in 2018, also was a noted writer and produced 9 novels – led by the award-winning A Hole in the Earth and Almighty Me (which became both a best-selling book and the popular movie Bruce Almighty).  He also wrote a  collection of short stories and was a writing professor at several universities.

 

Richard Bausch said he often gets questions about what to do if you get “writer’s block” and find yourself stuck.  “When you reach a place where you feel blocked, lower your standards and keep on going,” he said.  “There is no possible way to do permanent damage to a piece of writing. You cannot ruin it. You can only make it a little better a little at a time.”