It took John Grisham three years (1984-1987) to write "A Time To Kill", and it wasn't published until 1989 because he couldn't find a publisher. Fast forward to 2010 -- in an op-ed to the NY Times, he says that writing is the most difficult and frustrating job he has ever had. Isn't that astonishing? Grisham, arguably one of the most accomplished fiction writers of the past three decades, says writing is hard. Harder than being a lawyer who primarily handles indigent cases, being on an asphalt crew in summer, selling men's underwear, and being a politician, in fact.
Other than that, the key point I noted was that writing was not his childhood dream, a practiced hobby, or even a well-researched attempt at changing careers. It was something he decided to do one day and found to be incredibly difficult, but kept at it.. ultimately becoming a monumental success.