Practice Makes Perfect

What I said last week about how it's okay for an opening scene to suck actually counts for the entire writing process - and other things in life.

The first draft of any book tends to suck. And that first story you ever wrote, when you were eight or twelve or fifteen? That probably sucked, too. Because nobody starts out with perfect results.

Go to a museum and look at some beautiful paintings. You think the artist just picked up a paintbrush one day and began producing masterworks? No, they, like everyone else, first had to learn the craft. They had to practice. And practicing means that you keep working on it, even though your results still suck. Because that's the only way you'll get better.

I will never be a great artist, but I do enjoy drawing. For many years I stayed away from drawing and painting because I didn't think I was good enough at it and my results never came close to my vision.

But then I realized this: If I don't draw, I will never get better at it. If I do draw, I might suck a lot, but there is a good chance that my drawing will improve over time. I just have to do it anyway. I have to give myself permission to produce crappy drawings that look nothing like what I had in mind. And then try again. And again.

It's exactly the same with writing. You can't sit down and learn how to write a book from studying theory and technique and then grab a pen or keyboard and produce a perfect novel. Just like with painting or sculpting or dancing, you have to actually practice the craft. You have to write. A lot.

In retrospect, I am grateful that for several years during my teens, nobody read the vast majority of what I was writing. I wrote a lot back then. Most of it was fragments, beginnings, snippets of dialog. And most of it was prhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifetty bad. But I had the time and space to practice without pressure. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I also occasionally wrote a "serious" short story which I would edit, print, and show to family and friends. But I honestly think I learned more from all the completely uncensored, unedited, easily discarded writing I did in private. Because I was allowing myself to try anything out and see if I liked it.

So, don't be afraid to do something you suck at. And don't be afraid to produce crappy first scenes or drafts or books. You have to start somewhere.

And because the great Maureen Johnson says all that so much better than me, do go and watch her "Dare to Suck" video if you haven't yet.