Committing to creativity

There's a quote from the book City of Thieves by David Benioff where a character laments the fickleness of talent: Talent must be a fanatical mistress. She's beautiful; when you're with her, people watch you, they notice. But she bangs on your door at odd hours, and she disappears for long stretches, and she has no patience for the rest of your existence; your wife, your children, your friends. She is the most thrilling evening of your week, but some day she will leave you for good. One night, after she's been gone for years, you will see her on the arm of a younger man, and she will pretend not to recognize you. While I love this quote, as well as the book (you should definitely read it), I can't help but disagree with the premise that talent and creativity are divinely bestowed and out of your control. I've read a few autobiographies of prolific authors, and they all state the same thing: the words don't come easily and sometimes need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the…