Themes

Perseverance

One of the main themes of Neil Gaiman’s “Make Good Art” speech is the theme of perseverance. Much of the advice Gaiman offers focuses on the importance of not giving up when faced with adversity and rejection. For example, Gaiman shares an anecdote from when he wrote his first book:

My first book – a piece of journalism I had done for the money, and which had already bought me an electric typewriter from the advance – should have been a bestseller. It should have paid me a lot of money. If the publisher hadn’t gone into involuntary liquidation between the first print run selling out and the second printing, and before any royalties could be paid, it would have done. (ll. 64-70)

In this example, Gaiman shares an experience in his life that was unfort...