With 18 gold medals, Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history. Last week, he qualified for his FIFTH Olympic games.
And he still practices every day.
To become a great swimmer, he swam. A lot. He first dipped his foot into a swimming pool when he was a child; he liked it and jumped in.
Writing is the same way. In order to become a writer, you have to write. A lot.
You start with first steps – writing about something you know well – yourself or your favorite food or a beloved pet.
Write a sentence. Then write another, and one more, and one more. Then come back tomorrow and add four more sentences. The next day, read them aloud and see if they tell a story. If not, then add a few more sentences.
When you are ready, go back over your collection of words and edit. Editing is the most important part of writing. Think of editing as Michael Phelps would think of his swimming coach – it’s the little things that make a champion, and those things are seen when reviewing your work with the trained coach’s eye.
The reward of writing will not be an Olympic medal, but it will be the satisfaction of knowing you gave life to a story that wouldn’t live if not for you.