"I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one."
-- Flannery O'Connor
When I go out into the world as a writer, I meet a lot of these "most people," the ones who are "going to write a book someday." After the day job settles or money problems evaporate. Once the kids are in school (or grown) and the elderly parents no longer require so much attention.
I smile indulgently and nod as I listen to these folks spin out daydreams. For all I know, they have the talent. But as for the will? Probably not so much.
And as all of us really in the trenches know, the will to write no matter what is the more important factor. If you don't have that, what do you have? An empty sheet of paper and a head packed full of dreams.
Art from the upcoming remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
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(And my hubby doesn't understand why I don't tell more people I'm writing novels.)