Three Hard Truths About Writing

The First Hard Truth

Writing is a craft, as well as an art, and that craft takes time to develop. Forget genius, forget inspiration. It takes time measured not in weeks or months, but years. Hemingway said, "Write a million words." He wasn't kidding.

The Second Hard Truth

Every time a writer sits down to write, it's new.

A wise writer knows this, and revels in it. So that, ultimately, regardless of your years of experience as a writer, or your level of success, you come to the blank page (or screen) with anticipation for what you'll discover, in effect, as a beginner.

To quote Suzuki's famous advice; "In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind, there are few."

The Third Hard Truth

Writing carries no guarantees. 

You can never know how a piece of writing will turn out --
whether it'll be any good, whether anyone will like it, whether it will ever be sold. Writing, to put it flatly, is all about risk.