Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Writing is a skill (and an art). How do you improve a skill? Do it again tomorrow.

Here is some old advice to improving as a writer: write everyday.

I don’t have all the quotes to repeat here. I wish I did. I wish I could give credit to those who have written this advice much better than I write this advice.

One writer advised to write something about my past, growing up, etc. everyday for 30 days in a row. At the end of 30 days, I would be writing better. And I would remember my past better and would be able to write a much better memoir.

One writer advised to write a short story every week. No one, the advice continued, could write 52 bad short stories in a row.

One writer advised writing four or five hours a day. Writing three novels a year was mildly prolific as five or six novels a year would be appropriate. Again, how can you write six bad novels in a row?

I wrote a novel in one month. Remember NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month. Too bad it is gone.

And the advice from well-known writers continues. I think Stephen King wrote that all a writer needs is a room with a door that will shut. He wrote something like that. Good advice.

Write again tomorrow.