In a new “Writing Wednesdays” post, Steven Pressfield shares an inspirational quote from Olympic gold medalist swimmer John Naber. When asked the difference between a good swimmer and a great swimmer, Naber said that a great swimmer has the capacity to accept the “Pain Zone” – the part of a competition where your body is burning with effort – and to go a bit deeper and stay there a bit longer.
This quote helps Pressfield when his writing is kicking his ass. “It helps me a lot to remind myself first that there is a Pain Zone, and second, that it’s universal,” he says. “Every one of us hits that wall. Every one of us wants to quit. Every one wants to back off, just a little, so this damn struggle will stop hurting so much.”
But the great ones don’t.
In addition to striking at your writing habits, we find this quote applicable to the writer’s capacity for mining their emotional depths. It’s not easy writing about loss, pain, or fear, but sooner or later, you have to hit that Pain Zone, and you’ll feel yourself resisting. Remember, the deeper you go and the longer you stay, the greater you’ll be.
