The writer and activist Ta-Nehisi Coates, a writer for the Atlantic magazine, offers his experience about finding courage and confidence in his voice in this video: Creative Breakthroughs: Ta-Nehisi Coates. Though he mentions in the video that he has only one book, Coates has since gone on to write many important titles, including Between the World and Me and The Beautiful Struggle. He also has written graphic novels, including Black Panther.
Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses how: “writing is an act of physical courage”; breakthroughs sometimes come through deadlines or pressure; writing poses the challenge of having something beautiful in your head that doesn’t translate to the page; writing requires the ability to endure failure; and, as long as you keep writing, you’ll improve. Perseverance Coates says offers one “key” to becoming a writer. From the video:
“Breakthroughs come from putting an inordinate amount of stress on yourself and seeing what you can take and growing new muscles. it’s not really that mystical. It’s like, repeat a practice over and over and over and again, and suddenly you become something you had no idea you could really be.” Ta-Nehisi Coates
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