World of Words #8: Love your craft and it will love you back!

There is an age-old adage that says “we reap what we sow”. And I believe that, just like in life, this is true for writers. Being a successful writer is about more than being blessed with a gift and a passion. As writers, we have to invest in our craft to get the most out of it in return. We get out what we put in, right? So, what does investing in our craft mean? It means taking the time to learn about the art of writing…everything from basic sentence structure, to plotting out and executing your novel’s outline, and bringing your characters to life. But, it also means repetition and muscle memory…writing as often as possible is not only beneficial to improving your craft from a creative standpoint, but also from a functional perspective as well. The more you write the better you should become….be it in handwriting or on a computer keyboard, just like your creative skillset as a writer should also improve. We can’t expect good, long term writing to be born out of just talent alone. The talent we have has to be nurtured and grown, accompanied by a strong work ethic, repetition and of course, sacrifice. Achieving greatness rarely comes without sacrifice. For most of us, the clock is always ticking, taunting us, making time is a constant challenge. There are never enough seconds, minutes, and hours in a day. So we must be willing to carve out the time to dedicate to our craft, even to the extent of being selfish at times and to the detriment of some of our other activities. We have to treat writing like a living and breathing entity, because that is exactly what writing is for us, right? Writing lives and moves within us. That’s why we are writers. We breathe it, eat it, and drink it. Remember, love your craft and it will love you back…So as we continue on our journey, we should all ask ourselves: how far are am I willing to go and what am I willing to sacrifice to become a good, no, a GREAT writer?

Happy Writing!