I’ve heard the saying that it takes 10,000 hours to master anything. I’m pretty sure I’ve written for over 10,000 hours, but I’m still working on mastering my writing.
When I look at authors who have written several books, especially fiction authors, I have nothing but admiration. I often wonder if I have the imagination to write something that hasn’t happened. I wrote fiction about my dog, Lulu, and while she didn’t tell me the stories I wrote about, I made nothing up; I wrote the fiction as if my dog were the storyteller.
I know that reading books has helped me as an author. I’m pretty sure I’ve spent over 10,000 hours reading books spanning almost all genres, except science fiction.
Before the year is over, my goal is to review the writing I’ve done and be honest about whether I see improvements.
If the assessments I’m receiving on my current writing are to be taken seriously, I need to learn to show, not tell. I think it’s a challenge for me because when I tell stories, I share only what I think is necessary for you to follow them. I’m learning that readers need more to become emotionally invested in the story.
It’s tempting to go back to see if I achieved emotional investment in my first two books, but instead of setting myself up to kick myself for things I can’t undo, I’m just going to focus on improving my future writing.
I hope readers who have been following my work for a while will see the growth and development in my writing and look forward to what’s next.