How Do You Get Better at Writing?

I am not one to brag (okay, I am totally one to brag), but I have done quite a few posts on this site. Some are better than others, but each one of them was worth publishing as a part of my work on this site. Now, some are better than others, and new ones are generally better than old ones - though my early-on entry, "Obi-Wan Kenobi - You Suck!" still holds the record for the most hits by one post. Jedi masters aside, there has been a lot of writing placed onto this site, and a lot of valuable information. There's also a secret within these entries that I shall now reveal (it's not a big reveal).

Some people have asked me, "What on Earth has possessed you to do so many entries?" or something similar to that. And in fairness, looking back at the 665 entries I had as of yesterday, that's a lot of writing. At 500 words per entry, I have basically typed the equivalent of three works of Tolstoy along with three or four of Poe's short stories to boot. Is this abnormal behavior? Manic? With a tally over 332,000 words, I must have some kind of problem. And I will admit that problem here and now - it's not enough; not by a longshot.

Someone said that to become good at anything, you must make the unthinkable feel ordinary. If you want to be great at football, you have to see yourself making the one-handed catches or breaking every tackle as just another day at work. Want to be a great illustrator? See yourself creating the images and worlds you hold in highest regard. Want to be a poet? Pursue that perfect combination of words that make people clutch your pages ot your chest, and know you will be able to create those at will. Sure, your first great work will be personally impressive, but that's only half the battle. Hopefully, you will realize that just by writing that first great work, you realize you have done the unthinkable, climbed Everest and stood at the top, and nothing can stop you from doing it again.

So, why the 665 posts? Because each one forces me to write something a little better than the last - or at least to try. Each post might help a few writers out there, but it definitely helps me hone my skills. The statement I follow the most is, "Practice Makes Permanent" (yes, I said it right). The more you do something, the better you get at it both with your conscious skills and your mental muscles that learn all the little tricks and burn them into your subconscious. The more you practice, the more your "new tricks" become habits. You become even more of a writer.

So, as I continue posting on most Mondays and Fridays, just keep this in mind. Amidst all the advice, stories, and sometimes-odd metaphors, I am also advancing my own personal skills by the simple act of making these posts into a habit, and turning thoughts into little capsules of wisdom (I hope). And the more you follow your dream of writing or creating, the furthert you will get toward doing the unthinkable, and even advancing beyond.