Practice!

It is a well-known maxim that if you want to excel at something, you have to be willing to put in practice. Ask anyone who has played a sport, performed in a play, blasted a trumpet in a marching band, or even who has worked the same job for five years: the more you do something, the better you are at it.

There is a saying that only perfect practice makes perfect. But in my opinion, this only applies to the person who does not enjoy what he is practicing.

The same thing is true of writing. No one is born with a mastery of the English language. There is something to be said of the innate talent that we have, but hard work will overcome all but the most brilliant prodigies.

One of the best ways to practice writing is to keep a journal or a blog. Something that you need to update frequently works best. Then, just do it.

You'll discover that some days are better than others. Sometimes you can write effortlessly, and other days each word is dragged kicking and screaming through your keyboard. This is okay. It's all part of the practice. It's you training your fingers and mind to work together to produce text.

Don't expect to be able to write a smash hit right off the bat. Even with a good editor, such success is rare. It will take effort: blood and sweat. Tears at your struggles. Tears at your triumphs.

The most important thing is not to give up.

Even texts that you put to pasture as unsuitable for publication are not wasted. You have learned how to hone your craft on those texts.

There is a saying that only perfect practice makes perfect. But in my opinion, this only applies to the person who does not enjoy what he is practicing--the one being forced to learn the piano or to throw a baseball into the strike zone. If that does not quantify the way you seek to write, then do not fear if your initial offerings are atrocious literary travesties. You do not need to be perfect now. You can apply the lessons and continue forward, and your next attempt will be slightly better. And the next will be even more so. Until soon, without even realizing it, you'll be a master of the craft.

But only if you want to be, and only if you put in the time and don't expect for it to be handed to you. Write for no one or write for everyone, but whatever else you do: write.