Those middle moments, the grey areas between beginning and end, are the moments when we're most prone to abandonment. As a tribute to those who stayed the course, we've assembled a list of labor-intensive creative achievements that depended on more than a few sunsets to reach their final destination. - Who: Junot Diaz What: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao How Long: 10 years - After releasing his first book of short stories (Drown) to much critical acclaim in 1996, Junot Diaz dove into writing his first novel. But after a 75-page writing streak, he got stuck. For five years, Diaz sat down and wrote every day but he couldn't write anything he was happy with. Yet, after a brief flirtation with giving up the writerly life, he plunged back in again. Then it still took him another five years to complete his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which went on to win a Pultizer. As Diaz puts it: "In my view a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway." - Who: Bruce Springsteen What: "Born to Run" How Long: 6 months for one song - After two dangerously overhyped albums, Bruce Springsteen faced high stakes as he went into the studio to record his third - it was time to make rock and roll history or give up the ghost. When he began recording Born to Run in 1974, Springsteen was spinning his wheels and seemed doomed to fail. But after almost a year in the studio - including an unheard-of six months of lyrical edits to the title track "Born to Run" - the album was finally released and the rest is history. In Rolling Stone, Greil Marcus called it "a magnificent album that pays off on every bet ever placed on [Springsteen.]" - Who: James Cameron What: Avatar How Long: 15 years - In 1994, James Cameron drew on "every science fiction book he had read" to pen an 80-page treatment of Avatar. Two years later, he announced his intention to begin filming the movie after the completion of Titanic. Though 1999 was the year originally intended for Avatar's release, Cameron soon rolled back the deadline, blaming underdeveloped technology. It wasn't until 2005 that Cameron finally began working closely with artists and designers to visualize the characters and settings of the film. Four years and over $400 million later, Avatar went on to capture over two billion in box office sales and nine academy award nominations. - Who: Blu What: MUTO animation How Long: One summer, daily - Italian street artist Blu spent nearly every day of a summer painting (and re-painting and re-painting) a large-scale mural across the public walls and buildings of Buenos Aires, capturing each "frame" in succession. The resulting short animation film, MUTO - a real-life flip book sharing a story spread over city surfaces - has since gotten over 10 million views on YouTube, and extended Blu's own artistic footprint to institutes like the Tate Modern in London. - Who: Julia Child What: Mastering the Art of French Cooking How Long: 10 years - With a resume that included copywriting, the development of shark repellant and the handling of "classified" documents, Julia Child was an even odder candidate for classical French cooking than many depictions let on. Her ten-year training and subsequent pre-publishing trials were made more complex by issues of era, culture and even team dynamics, making the immense success of her book launch both unexpected and immensely satisfying. Over forty years later, Mastering the Art of French Cooking remains as irreplaceable to the modern chef as it was to the aspirational gourmands of the 1950s. - Who: Christian Marclay What: The Clock How Long: 3 years - Artist Christian Marclay and a handful of assistants slaved away for over three years collecting and editing the 10,000+ film clips that make up his iconic installation, The Clock, a 24-hour video collage. Not surprisingly, Marclay was daunted by the sheer size of his own project at first: "I didn't have the courage to get started, because I knew it would be an endless struggle." After The Clock debuted at London's White Cube Gallery in 2010, Newsweek named Marclay one of the ten most important artists of our time. In 2011, The Clock was also awarded a Gold Lion. - Who: Art Spiegelman What: Maus How Long: 11 years - Art Spiegelman's Maus, a post-modern depiction of the Holocaust and Art's father's experiences as a Polish Jew, was serialized for 11 years as an insert in the cartoonist's own magazine, Raw. But after a decade+ of work, Spiegelman still struggled to find a publisher for the collection. Once he finally did, the book received rave reviews. Then in 1992, twelve years after the first comic was published, the complete Maus - now regarded as the first graphic novel - was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. It was the first comic to ever receive such distinction. - Who: Scott Weaver What: Rolling Through the Bay

 How Long: 34 years - "I always had a dream that I would build the world's largest toothpick sculpture," says Scott Weaver, the mad scientist behind "Rolling Through the Bay" - a 9 feet tall, 7 feet wide and 2 feet deep model of San Francisco made entirely of toothpicks. Half art, half "out-of-hand pingpong ball experiment," the rollercoaster-like sculpture took over 3,000 hours and 34 years to complete. It's a fascinating study in the power of setting lofty goals and pursuing them no matter what it takes. - Who: John Roebling What: The Brooklyn Bridge How Long: 10 years - One of the 1800's most significant - and drama-inducing - engineering innovations, the Brooklyn Bridge took more than ten years to complete. The victim of constant naysaying from skeptics and incessant technical setbacks, the construction of the bridge took the lives of an estimated 20-30 men, including the bridge's architect, John Roebling. Yet, over 125 years later, the bridge still carries traffic across the East River daily, with only a few modifications to the original design to allow for modern transportation. - Who: Matthew Weiner What: Mad Men How Long: 7 years - Creator Matthew Weiner began pitching Mad Men in 2000, almost seven years before it finally went into production. Says Weiner, "A lot of people had read [the script], but it was also considered to be old. Like, why did everyone pass on this? Why is this material out there?" In 2007 AMC finally picked it up, giving Weiner full creative control in the process. Today, Mad Men and its cast have claimed 15 Emmys and four Golden Globes. -- What Are Your Stories of Slow Mastery? What long-term creative achievements have inspired you?