"If you wish to be a writer, write." - Epictetus
It goes without saying: if you want to be a writer, you must write. Thinking about writing is not enough. Talking about writing is not enough. You have to sit down and get words on the page. That’s what writers do.
You certainly can’t improve your writing without practice. The more you write, the better your writing becomes. Experience breeds expertise, so if you write a lot, you’ll become an expert writer.
According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in any field. Does that mean you have to spend 10,000 hours writing to get good at it? I don’t think so. I think some of those hours can be spent reading and studying the craft. However, the majority of those hours must be dedicated to practicing the craft.
Practice is what turns an amateur into a professional. Lots and lots of practice.
Yet many people who say they want to be writers avoid writing altogether. They plan on writing, think about writing, and talk about writing. They probably write a little here and there but not enough to complete a project, not enough to become great at it, and never enough to make a career of it.
There are lots of reasons people want to write. Some are naturally talented, so they feel they should write. Others love to read, so they’d like to write a book someday. Some think writing is a quick way to become rich and famous (they’re wrong), others are genuinely passionate about writing, but they don’t have time to write, are uninspired, only write when they are inspired, or simply don’t think they have what it takes to be a writer.
Permission to Write
"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." - Richard Bach
I admire people who are fearless. When they want to do something, they do it. They don’t worry, plan, wonder, analyze, or seek permission. They simply do what they want to do.
But most of us are more cautious. We’ve experienced failure. We don’t like taking risks. We’ve seen amateurs trying to pass themselves off as professionals. We’ve had our writing critiqued and the feedback wasn’t good. We set the bar high—nothing short of a potential bestseller is worth writing.
When the mind is clouded with these thoughts, it’s hard to try new things. We don’t want to make fools of ourselves. And who are we to take up writing anyway?
Some people are intimidated by the blank page. Others are intimidated by grammar. Many think they are simply not qualified. There are plenty of reasons to refuse to write even if writing is what you want to do:
· I didn’t go to college.
· I went to college, but I didn’t take a writing class.
· I have a story to tell, but I’m not a writer.
· I was never good at English.
· I could never be as good as my favorite author.
· It’s too hard to get published.
· I don’t know anything about publishing or marketing.
· Writing is too hard.
· There’s no money in it.
The first thing you need to do is stop making excuses, and then you need to give yourself permission to write.
Almost every excuse for not writing is fear based. You’re afraid you’re not qualified. You’re afraid it will be too difficult for you. You’re afraid of failure.
