What does it take to be a writer?

Like art or music, there are no rules as to how you approach your work, but an understanding of the subject is still important, and usually necessary to produce the greatest works. If you break the rules, you should at least know what they are.

Many beginning writers don’t understand how important it is to be original. Reading hundreds of scripts and listening to thousands of pitches showed me how most of them were derivative of other movies, with familiar characters, uninteresting ideas, and clichéd plot twists. Beginning writers tend to develop the easiest idea that comes to mind, rather than working hard to generate original ones.
Karl Iglesias, The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters

Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.
Stephen King

So what does it take to be a writer?

There are two rules to writing: The first rule is that there are no rules. The second rule is that just because of rule number one, that doesn’t mean you can do anything you want.

You need three things: PASSION, PRACTICE, and STUDY.

Passion
The most important trait that a writer needs is zest, gusto, passion. Although it’s important to understand things like story structure, point of view and how to write a scene, it can be easy to forget about the fire which causes a story to be told in the first place. Ray Bradbury has said that he wasn’t born with natural talent in writing. Instead, he was born with a passion for writing itself. His enthusiasm was the fuel that forced him to develop his skill as a writer. Think of it this way; if you want to fly to the stars you need a rocket ship full of fire. How do you know if you have the passion to write? How do you know an artist has passion for drawing? An artist draws all the time, simply for the fun of it. Writers write all the time.

Practice

Write a thousand words a day and in three years you will be a writer.
Ray Bradbury

If you want to succeed as a writer, you need to write at least a thousand words a day.


Ray Bradbury wrote a thousand words a day for ten years before he sold something. That’s three and a half million words worth of stories.

Like a musician or a professional ball player, you need to practice every day to succeed.

Airline pilots need a certain number of hours of flying time before they are qualified to pilot planes safely.

Music, art, sports and writing all require “X” number of hours of practice before you are good enough to work professionally.

The number of hours required depends on your natural talent, how quick you learn the techniques of your craft and on how much passion you have for what you’re doing.

Everyone writes terribly at first, but after six months or a year of practice (or more), the bad stuff will tend to go away.

Another way to think of it is like an athlete lifting weights. You shouldn’t try to lift heavy weights until you’ve developed the muscles. If you write all the time, things like your individual voice and style will develop naturally over time.

So if you want to be a writer, you need to write at least a thousand words a day.

Study

Imagine seeing a bridge or a skyscraper or an automobile and deciding that you’re going to go build one too. Without acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to build that bridge or skyscraper or automobile, you won’t get anywhere.

Yet this is the approach people take when they want to become a writer. They think they can do better than what’s gone before. They dream up an idea and just start writing, refusing to learn anything about how stories are put together. Fiercely independent, they never study the craft of writing. This kind of nonsense is the reason so many people fail.

Art is complex too. The principles and elements of design are Line, shape, direction, proportion, texture, balance, harmony, contrast, unity, emphasis, space, and time. Without learning these things, you won’t go far as an artist, no matter how many hours you put into practising. Artists need to learn how to mix paint, they need to learn how to prepare a canvas, and they need an understanding of colour theory. Artists have no problem going to art school.

Imagine an artist saying something like, “If I go to art school, I’ll learn the FORMULA and all of my art will look exactly like everybody else’s.” This kind of thinking is nonsense, and yet this is precisely the reason why aspiring writers refuse to study writing techniques. It’s true that the best artists spend most of their time practising, but they also need to develop the skills needed to be an artist. Michelangelo didn’t just spend time practising. He studied his subject.

Study is one of the most important things you can do as a writer. Without study, it can take you ten or twenty years to succeed. With study, you can do it ten times faster.

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The Writing Studio’s The Write Journey course is an interactive, intimate and introspective journey into the world of your story, empowering you to take ownership of the creative journey, and creative expression.