Writers need practice too

The passion and persistence thread leads pretty naturally into something I want to talk about that doesn't get stressed often enough.

My sister-in-law is a symphony orchestra cellist. My step-brother is world-class, make-a-living-at-it target shooter. Both of these professions have several things in common with what I do as a writer. First, the success rate is very low. Second, they require extreme passion. You can't get there without really wanting it. Third, talent. There's seems to be a minimum level of talent without which there wouldn't be much point in starting down the road. Fourth, lots of hard work. And that's what I want to talk about here.

Hard work. Kari and Matt both dedicate thousands of hours a year to practice. So do I. For some reason this idea often surprises people. There is a not uncommon belief, fostered perhaps by the fact that most people learn to write as a matter of course, that writing is something one can just do. People who would never expect a professional cellist to be able to play without rehersal, or a target shooter to be able to hit the mark without practice, seem shocked by the idea that you have to write a lot to master the craft. I can't tell you the number of times I've been asked about short cuts or the aghast looks I've gotten when I say that there aren't any.

Which brings me to my next point and the subject of tomorrow's post:

Practice—Write the next story.