“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
― Aristotle
Do you write every day?
We talk here about the habits which contribute to our success, the ability to stick with a project and see it through to its end.
It is not relevant how much time it takes you to complete a project, but rather that you finish what you start. The only way to develop your strength as a writer is to write every day. Again, because that bears repeating, write every day.
“Writing” is composed of first draft writing, editing, which is composed of developmental editing, copy editing, and line editing. This is true because, as every seasoned writer knows, story is not written but rewritten.
Truth be told the only way to turn dreams into reality is working. Working toward the goal we each set for ourselves. Many find the entire task out of reach because they do not trust themselves to get the work done.
Writers learn, usually the hard way, to trust the choices they make. We are often ” born” storytellers and simply sit down to writer without a true understanding of craft. Good news, craft can be learned. We learn by doing in writing. Once you make an error and are called on it, you are less likely to repeat the mistake.
Some of us sit down to write and simply “vomit” the words onto the page. The story just bursts out of us, as if by divine providence. Many of us have the story reel running in our heads both day and night and sometimes those stories originate in our dreams.
The longer an author writes, the more likely he or she is to trust the choices they make with story, even when they chose poorly. It happens. Even when we learn to trust the choices we make we are still capable of making mistakes.
Some of us set the timer and “go for it”. We’ve learned to trust the infinite, that story will be granted to us by a divine power if only we keep writing. It does happen. Can you keep writing long enough to test the theory? Ask anyone who sold a book from NaNoWriMo.
If you learn to trust your intuition, the story sorts itself out, and that is a fact. Many “Pantsers” who could not plot a book if you held a loaded gun to their head will tell you they simply start writing and then they trust their intuition. Story follows.
It does not matter how you approach the task of storytelling. The decision lies with you, you make it happen.