I have run into many writing students who believe that because they are creative, they can write. We are all creative in many different ways. In fact, I would say creativity is written in our very nature as humans. Creative writing is one of the expressions of this nature. However, it’s a far cry from being creative to being a serious writer.
Hard work is the defining line between the creative writer and the writer who creates.
Stephen King, one of the most prolific writers of our time, talks about how writers need to write every day, even just a little bit, in order to get to a point where their writing is good enough to be considered for the public. Pierre Burton, also ridiculously prolific, wrote 12 hours a day in his prime and 8 hours a day when he “retired.” You could probably talk to any published author and she or he will tell you a writer needs to have a writing time every day. And it’s f’n difficult to do!
Hard work is where it’s at. We need to push through the sluggish feelings that draw us back to the couch and force ourselves to sit at that desk and write dammit!
