The "Talented" Individual

i found Iris' wonderful blog, and really resonated with what she had to say.
i'm not really a great artist, or writer.  It's just that i can't not do them, and work helps you improve.
A few years ago i read a book about writing by _______ Packard & ??.  They told about feeling discouraged by a really talented individual they were in class with (read: this woman could write amazingly right away, while they were still struggling).

Fast forward a few years, and the Amazing Beginning Student had stopped writing.  She'd gotten a couple rejection slips, you see.  Whereas the authors, Packard & ???, had persevered & gotten published, even had series published.

Will hard work make you a genius?  Nah.  But you never know how far you can go until you try.

Sometimes persistence is just what it takes to get you to the mountaintop.