swim like a fish, never having been in the water before? What about fly an
airplane like an expert pilot? Or even bake a cake without a recipe? This is a
no-brainer. Of course you cannot. It does not take a genius to figure this out.
No one would expect you to be able to do these things unless you were some sort
prodigy. But yet on the same token, we expect to be able to write like a best
selling author on the first try. No one looks at this as being odd. Yet most of us
have had no formal training and very little real practice when it comes to writing.
So what is it that makes us think this way? Why is that we expect to be able to
write well from the get go? There is a simple answer to this question. Quite
simply, it is because you usually write on a daily basis. Just think about how
much you write on a regular basis. We sign our name and address on documents.
We write notes to our family. We write memos at work. We write letters to
friends and family. We make to do lists and grocery lists. And we jot down
reminder notes. That seems like quite a bit. All of this is writing, but it is not
“writing.”
What that means is very simple. Think about it for a second. There is not a plot
to your grocery store list or main character in your to do list. These are two
totally different kinds of writing. One requires thought and planning while the
other does not. What it all boils down to is as with anything, practice makes
perfect. To become good at writing, you have to write. It’s as simple as that. To
be good at writing short stories, you have to practice writing short stories. To be
good at writing articles, you have to practice writing articles. To be good at
writing poems, you have to practice writing poetry.
Bestseller status may still not be just around the corner. What that means is do
not expect your first to be great. It is possible, but highly unlikely your first
attempt will be a masterpiece. It takes a lot of hard work to be a good writer.
You have to practice, practice and then practice a little bit more. With each new
piece that you write, you will find your skills improving. To speed this up a bit,
read the advice of experts. There are many to choose from. A good start is
Stephen King’s On Writing and Gary Provost’s 100 Ways to Improve Your
Writing. Give these a try and see how they work for you. Soon, you will be
writing in ways you never thought possible.
I’d love to hear about your progress. Drop me a line and let me know how you
are doing. shaniaduncan@altimatepublishing.com
