Stop Writing!

Write something every day. That's what the wise people of words constantly advise writers if they ever want to become really good. On its face, it seems like a reasonable suggestion.

As the old joke goes: How do I get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice! And it was Malcolm Gladwell who said that it takes at least 10,000 hours to master anything: from a foreign language, to a musical instrument, to brain surgery. Maybe even writing. Heck, I've been writing professionally for about 40 years, so that's way more than 10,000 hours. But I'd be the last person to claim that I've mastered the written word!

So write every day. That's what other writers say, what writing instructors say, and what publishers say. In fact, you can download apps that provide daily ticklers that prompt you to write in case you forget.

I don't, however, think people should write every day. There are way too many writers in the world, and not enough readers. So why bother? Writing is hard and there are many other productive ways to spend your time than toiling over an unruly manuscript. I'm a gardener now!

But if you must write, make sure you have a purpose. What do you hope to accomplish? BE REALISTIC!

For example, if you're like me, with hopes of being published, be ready for lots of disappointment. The competition is brutal, those doing the judging (agents and editors) make decisions that are often arbitrary and capricious, and the pay is terrible even if you manage to land a book contract.

A more realistic goal is to self-publish. You will get to see your handiwork in print, but most likely you won't sell anything. With few exceptions, most self-published books suck and don't generate much of an audience. Your best bet is to "sell" your book for free on Smashwords.

Maybe you feel a need to write every day because you have a consuming passion to express yourself. You may even have a flair for words. By all means, write away, join a writing group that reads their stuff to each other, take an adult creative writing class. Then file your essays/stories away and start working on the next one. Make writing an intellectual and emotional outlet and don't make others read your stuff!

This is hardly inspirational and I apologize for that. The thing is, writing well is grueling and humbling and not much different than learning needlepoint or mudding a perfect Sheetrock seam. It's true that becoming a good anything takes practice--my writing's improved a lot over the years.

But being a good writer, or even a great writer, does not mean you'll be a published writer. So write every day if you feel you must. Just don't let your hopes and dreams get the best of you.