Do you have the time to start writing well?

You have read several books, and have internalized the grammar rules. Writing correctly has become instinctive to you and you now have many ideas playing in your mind. So how do you start writing well?

Design your life for writing right now! What does this mean? If you have a family, you have to schedule your writing time in the evenings or early mornings where your children cannot interrupt you. If you are also working fulltime on another job, then manage your time as some of your colleagues do who go to classes after work. Demand from yourself the same standard as a part-time employer or school administrator would demand from you. Don’t skip your part-time writing schedule or writing class. Find time to write and defend it!

Writing is action learning and concentration in the present. We learn better in practice. Don’t just read how to write well books and articles. Write! Stephen King advised us not to allow interruptions and break in the thought writing process. Checking references, spellings and research on places and other specifics can all be done later. Rudyard Kipling gave a similar advice. When the writing flow starts, take care of that ‘daemon’ and do not scare it away by directing your mind to other things or allowing external noise to interrupt it.

Writing is nurturing your craft over time. You and your work need to rest and grow organically. Writing is not mechanical. You need to allow ideas to play, work, rest, and grow other ideas. Writing well takes time. Don’t expect it to be quick and fast. Be patient.

Writing well is taking the time to revise. Many of us are guilty of being excited about our work and wanting to show it off to somebody right away. We should understand the importance of our own work. It would work if we would set aside our work for a day or two and then get back to it to identify the parts that need revision. You’d be surprised that there are many parts that could be improved!

Finally, revision is moving away from the romantic part of writing to the genuine love of the craft. Here is the time you make your writing work better for you and for your readers. You cut out the excess baggage of words. You improve on the timing and the structure of the story. You make it into a classic.

Time is important in writing well and in judging the quality of written work.