/lit/ - Literature

I made a thread here a couple days ago with an excerpt from my novel. I got some great positive (and constructive) feedback, so I wonder if I might not bother you guys with a thought or two.

I feel like I've, at long last, made it past the awkward transition from writing absolute shit to writing stuff I can finally bear to read. I think I'm headed in the right direction with regard to my style and my voice, but I fear there's another transition that has to be made, a moving from good work to great work, to bold literary fiction that's enthralling and rich.

What I'm curious about is how you would define the origin, the source, of greatness - is it drawn mostly from the gut, is it the spawn of an instinct every 'real' artist should have? Or is it more a matter of time and practice - of reading, writing, studying more, etc. (some people believe in things like the '10,000 hour rule' - I'm wondering what you guys think of that idea and others).