Not Every Piece has to be a Best-Seller
Have you met writers who strive for perfection? Where every piece has to be a best-seller? Aren’t they the most thrilling souls to be around?
Yeah, I thought not.
I am not trying to put any writer down. Hey, we all struggle with our waves of creating, but we understand that it doesn’t have to be perfect for the most productive writer. It only has to do three things.
1) Share an idea
2) Be concise and clear
3) Leave room for improvement
It’s Simple
Sounds simple? That’s because it is. Writing isn’t like building a nuclear fusion converter. It is putting words on a sheet of paper to share an idea or concept. It is beautiful and captivating.
But we often make it so difficult. We create non-sensical routines that don’t work. We take classes and workshops that don’t help. We join groups of other writers that are bad at giving and taking constructive feedback — all in the hope that somehow, someway, we will write a killer story.
But the simplest way to write a killer story, any writing for that matter, is to create a repeatable pattern.
Create a Repeatable Pattern
The easiest way to improve your writing is to practice consistently and with a goal in mind. Instead of charging forth with an abstract ideal, create a concrete plan with a tangible product you can show for it.
Rather than saying you’re going to write a book in the near future, start with Jerry B. Jenkins’s statement of writing a short story first. Create a small work and find a routine that allows you to repeat the action in the shortest amount of time.
When you have mastered the elements of a short story, try writing a longer piece.
Rinse and Repeat. Create a repeatable routine, and keep going.
Writing is a Journey
Writing isn’t a skill that appears out of the blue; it takes time and patience to master it.
After you have set up your routine, try sharing your struggles with others on a blog or by creating a following on a social network. Writing, and I mean good writing, does not happen within a vacuum. You have to show others your work and learn from their mistakes while making your own. It is a constant process of revision, both your work and your approach to your craft.
Writing is a journey. As you approach the end of that journey, here are a few things you should consider.
What do you want your words to represent?
How do you want others to remember your work?
Not every piece has to be a best-seller, but that doesn’t mean you should never try to improve your skills. Writing is a game of patience. The ones who win are the ones who were willing to suffer through the uncertainty of their craft and the humility to endure when their work isn’t good enough.
Writing is a duel, a fight for ideas, and the anticipation of conquest with your thoughts.
Has there ever been anything more thrilling?
