No matter what popular opinion might say, talent is only the beginning. What really counts is practice. Consistent, smart practice that doesn’t just play to your strengths in your chosen field but addresses your weaknesses as well.
A few years ago a writing-teacher encouraged us to see writing as practice. A lightbulb went off in my head. Now, though, I’ll take it a step farther and say: Don’t see writing as practice. See it as a practice. That little article is important.
To practice, say, the piano can be tedious. A chore. Something you “should” do. A practice, on the other hand, is a way of life. Some people practice law or medicine because their urge to help others or to see justice done is one of the core elements of their personality. Other people practice the martial arts in the same intense and fulfilling way.
And then there are those for whom writing is a practice. Something that they don’t agonize over but do because it occupies there thoughts whether they want it or not. It’s not what they do. It’s who they are.