In Stephen King’s book, On Writing, he advises, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” He went on to add, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
The sentiment was echoed by the late Lawrence Leo King. “Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.”
More than a century before, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.”
To paraphrase: Read, write, rewrite [edit], repeat. The writing process—the core of which is reading, writing, and rewriting—is essential to one’s development as a writer, a belief that has universal acceptance among all great writers.
Adopting this process requires a commitment to write at least 4-5 days a week, if not every day. Write when you are unmotivated to write. The same applies to when you are writing poorly. In fact, you must be willing to give yourself permission to write badly, just as every successful writer has done without exception. To this last point, writing poorly provides a much-needed opportunity to edit (rewrite) a poorly written original draft after stepping away for a period of time.
The writing process, undertaken daily, is the first and most important step on the journey to writing well.
If you find yourself unmotivated or disappointed in the quality of your work, as we all do at times, keep reading to discover what a few notable writers share here.