Deliberate practice and writing

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Lots of consensus that 1,000,000 words written is a good start (and I think I’ve done that already) - but what’s more important is deliberate practice.

But, how do you practise deliberately when it comes to writing?

  • to build a habit, set a time goal rather than a word quota - this is easier to achieve
  • scale this up as the habit solidifies
  • go into each writing session knowing what you want to accomplish

James Scott Bell, in How to Make a Living as a Writer, says you can isolate seven critical areas of fiction writing:

  • get feedback
  • copy (parts of) great works by hand
  • read deliberately - examine the parts of a book that have you hooked and work out how the author put it together

Obviously, it depends on your goals, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be daily practice, not as long as the habit is clear and you’re happy with the progress you’re making regardless.

Also remember: much of good writing is rewriting and not everything you write has to be polished.

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