Practice Does NOT Make Perfect
And 10,000 hours won't make you an expert
Without naming names (IYKYK), one of the biggest stories in the book world this year was about an author who had worked on their book for a decade before publishing it… And it was terrible. Resulting in a lot of chatter about “having put in the time,” and “having worked way more than 10,000 hours,” the natural extension of these thoughts being: all that effort must naturally lead to proficiency if not outright expertise.
Wrong.
While writing can be, to some degree, self-taught, there comes a time when learning anything that one needs guidance. Otherwise, instead of improving a skill, you are likely entrenching bad habits.
The author who worked for ten years on their book? They started that book when they were in middle school. And the result still felt like something written by a middle schooler. Because in those ten years, the author did not improve. They didn’t get the guidance they needed while in the process of writing, nor did they receive (or, depending on the narrative you subscribe to, they did not heed) the feedback required for growth and development. They trusted in their abilities—and any creative endeavor does call for a certain amount of self-confidence—and in those years of work. But that’s simply not enough.
Well, it’s maybe enough if you just want to self-publish a book and hope it finds an audience. But if you want to go big, you have to do better.
Some learning comes from imbibing, by which I mean, as many writers will tell you: “If you want to be a writer, first be a reader.” Reading helps prospective authors internalize everything from sentence structure, vocabulary, and punctuation, to plotting and pacing. One begins learning the rhythms of writing from broad beats to softer nuances. I honestly do not believe a person can be a good writer if they are not a reader because a love of books and storytelling is key. In the same way a patisserie might use “baked with love” on a label, a writer should be able to say “written by a reader.” It can mean the difference between something that tastes manufactured and processed versus something fresh, authentic, and organic.
You can spend 10,000 hours on a project and it will still look like crap if you’re working in the dark. A guiding light is key.
But even if you are an avid reader, being a writer takes more. Imagination, yes, but also some instruction. I often encourage people to write the first draft without input from others, but after that point, you absolutely need critique and feedback. And not from just anyone, but from people who know what they’re talking about. Surrounding yourself with friends, family, and yes men who will applaud anything you write feels nice in the moment and may keep you motivated when things get rough. But, as the author I mentioned at the start will have discovered, that warm blanket gets ripped away pretty quickly if and when the greater public gets hold of your work—more so if most of them don’t like it. After all, if you’ve hyped up your product, it better live up to that hype. So, yes, have cheerleaders; you’ll definitely need them. But also have experts and mentors and fellow authors who will see your work clearly and be honest with you about it.
People to look for when seeking critique and feedback:
Fellow authors (ideally ones who are at least a little further along in their careers than you are; look for people whose trajectory you admire and would like to emulate)
Instructors—English and writing teachers if you have access to them
Readers—people you know who love to read, especially if they read the genre you’re writing; some writers also hire beta readers
Editors—whether professional or simply skilled; you may have to pay for this, and if/when to hire an editor is hotly debated as different authors have different processes
Keep in mind that if you are not paying these people for their work, you are asking for free labor on their part. That means you can’t really demand much. You can ask for them to read it by x date, but you should appreciate that they’re doing it at all. You can also ask them to look for specific things like character development or plot holes. Direction can be helpful to readers, but it may also mean they are so focused on the things you’ve asked them to look for that they neglect other issues.
In short, investing a lot of time and effort into learning something—writing, or piano, or cooking—is only part of becoming proficient. If an aspiring pianist sits down without learning to read music and just starts playing around with the keys, they might come up with something that passes for music. But it’s much more likely to be a discordant cacophony. And 10,000 hours of that won’t make it any better. A pianist has to learn to read music, put notes together, play others’ pieces, before composing their own. When acquiring any skill, regardless of time spent, guidance is key.