06. Honing Your Craft
I think it’s important that no matter what you do, you do it to the best of your ability.
There’s a statistic that 97% of people who begin writing a novel never finish it. So that means 30 out of 1000 people write their novel to completion and only 6 out of that 30 go on to actually publish it. That’s insane.
We know writing a novel takes so much work, but if it’s something that you really want to do, then it’s good work.
But how do we actually get to be one of the 6?
First drafts are meant to be sloppy. It’s telling the story to yourself first, getting all of the ideas out even if they don’t make a lick of sense yet. And I think that’s where a lot of writers, including myself, sometimes get hung up. They’re expecting their first draft to be this polished masterpiece ready for publication. But the reality is, books take literally years of work. Some ways to help sharpen your skillset are by honing your craft and becoming a better, more experienced writer.
Books on writing: I’ve touched on this in a previous post, but this is something I’ll always stress. Outside advice will always be beneficial even if it’s something you know already. Learning from professional writers will not only enhance your writing but also save you time when it comes to self-edits. You’ll know what you’re looking for and what to add or cut.
Literally, just writing: This seems like a no-brainer, but the more you write, the better you’re going to become. What I know now came from finishing books and writing story prompts. And story prompts are great ways to boost creativity and learn how to write without editing as you go. It’s like practicing writing first drafts. And the more you do them, the more you become seasoned.
Critique partners: Writing is often a solo journey, but having someone walking the same road is so beneficial. This kinda piggybacks off of the last note. After writing story prompts or scenes from your story, you can send it to someone who will give you good and honest feedback. Then using their critique, you can be mindful of what to include or omit the next time you write.
As I said before, I think it’s important that when writing a book, you do it to the best of your ability, which includes becoming a better writer. Your book deserves to be told in the best way possible and we, your readers, want to read the story exactly how you’ve envisioned it.