“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.”   Ernest Hemingway

A short story: When the city of Leningrad was laid out in the early 18th century, oneenromous chunk granite was lying in the way of a main road. Bids for its removal were incredibly high because there were no mechanical means for removal, no drills or usableexlosives.

One day a peasant offered to remove the boulder for a fraction of the other bids. He assembled a small army of peasants and they began digging a deep hole next to the rock, which was propped up to keep it stable. When the hole was deep enough, the props were removed and the boulder popped into the hole below street level. The rock was covered with dirt, and the rest of the earth was carted away.

Resourcefulness is a priceless quality. We can bring it to our work through:

Optimism:  Attitude matters. If you approach a thorny situation with the belief that there is a solution and you can find it, your road will be smoother.

Open-mindedness:  Be alive to new ideas and fresh ways of thinking. Get out of your comfort zone. Explore. Discover. Apply what you’ve learned.

Ingenuity:  Resourcefulness is really about making the most of what you have to work with. It requires creative thinking.

Persistence:  Like Thomas Edison, you may need to try many approaches until something clicks. Keep experimenting, playing around, seeking and tweeking.

Resourcefulness in writing gives rise to fresh, unpredictable characters, surprising plot twists, and words that sparkle with verve and brio. Let’s mine this precious quality in ourselves and share the results with our readers. Write on!