According to Cambridge Dictionary, practice is "the act of doing something regularly or repeatedly to improve your skill at doing it.” I like this one from Google better; it’s similar, but the wording is more appropriate: “A definition that Google offered is that practice is to “perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.” As with any other skill, the skill of writing needs to first be learned. To learn something, you need to study it; you also need to practice. As a kid, I was a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ when it came to instruments. I played the accordion, the violin, the guitar, the piano, the harmonica, and the banjo. The problem and the reason I didn’t become a master is that I learned the instruments fairly well but then stopped practicing. I didn’t devote the time needed on any of the instruments to become a master. It’s the devotion of time and effort (practice) that takes you from fair, to good, to a master in anything you strive for. Writing is no exception. Granted time and life can get in the way of the type of devotion needed to become a master, but if you want something badly enough, you find a way. I write every day. Well, just about every day. On days that I’m too overwhelmed with what’s going on in my life, or I’m just too tired, I take the day off. But those days are far and few apart. I’ve even used the copywriting trick of typing out the text of children’s books (picture books and simple chapter books) that are professionally written and traditionally published by major publishers. This helps train the brain to write right. When using this trick, it’s important to understand that this practice is for the purpose of learning only. You should never use any of the text you’re copying as your own. That would be plagiarism. I also read children’s books. I confess, though, that I haven’t read as many as I should have. To rectify this, I’ve started getting books from the library to read, study, and analyze. The point of all this is that if you wish to be a professional writer, if you want to obtain writing success, you need to put in the time and effort. You need to practice, practice, and practice some more. So far, I’ve talked about effort (practice), but what about time? This is a tough one for everyone. People, in general, just seem to have less of it. Now we know that’s not true, but it seems like it is because of all the media, social media, digital distractions, along with family and work obligations, that take over our lives. To become a successful writer, making the time to write is essential. One of my favorite quotes on time is: “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” ~ H. Jackson Brown So, there you have it. Devoting time to write and practice = writing success... and a writing career.
I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. I can help turn your story into a book you’ll be proud to be author of, one that’s publishable and marketable. You can contact me at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com. Or, you can give me a call at 834---347---6700. Or, if you’d rather do-it-yourself, check out my book, How to Write a Children’s Fiction Book.
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