It's hard picking only one lesson, but I'd have to say the most valuable lesson is the value of doing the work. You'll never finish that project of the heart without taking the time to read a variety of works, study your craft, pay attention to the world and other people, and oh yeah, actually sit down and write. Then rewrite. Show your work to other people and revise it again. Expect to leave behind a score of unfinished and discarded drafts in your wake. Your finished story is like an iceberg; what's visible to the readers is supported by years of practice. Don't let them down.
If you're a writer, what do you think is the most valuable thing you've learned? Feel free to share it in the comments.
Tip of the iceberg - good analogy. So much work that others will never see.
ReplyDeleteIt can be a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex!
ReplyDeletePat,yes, it's a lot of work, but it's work doing what I love.
The one with the biggest impact was clarity. Learning to write so what I wrote was also what I meant so the reader and I experienced the same(ish) thing. Mostly it looked like a rabbit with a big blue seven painted on its side. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
I think that's true of anything in life. Sometimes I give myself hands on experience even though I plan to pay someone else for something later on. This way I understand the process. That's never been more true than in writing.
ReplyDeleteLearning to write, crafting a good story has taught me things not only about editing and story telling, but about people as well.
The first lesson of write club for me was: Writing doesn't make you an author. Finishing does.
ReplyDeleteThat's an extremely valuable lesson. Thanks for sharing.
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