4 ms·
> But I don't know if I have a book in me. Because every time I try to write things that could possibly turn into a book I read them and they don't sound very g
by bmer 8y ago
> But I don't know if I have a book in me. Because every time I try to write things that could possibly turn into a book I read them and they don't sound very good. I know what I'd have to do to change that, namely write a lot every day for a few years until it clicked. But I don't.
Could you expand on what you mean by this?
problem: you write down something, but it doesn't sound very good
solution: write a lot every day for a few years until it clicked
How is the problem solved by the solution you presented?
- asdfman123 8y agoBecause to get good at anything, you need to do a whole lot of it. You probably have to write a few bad books before writing a good one.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- gervase 8y agoConsider it from an engineering perspective: Problem: I write some code, but it doesn't work very well. Solution: Write a lot of code every day for a few years. The implication is that you learn what kinds of things are good and bad through practical experience, rather than simply re-writing the same implementation/prose every day.
- bmer 8y agoBut in the case of the commenter I was responding to, they had already gathered a lot of experience through work. This isn't a matter of learning (as they "know" what they have to do), but apparently the solution simply requires such expenditure of time, even for someone who is a professional writer.
- CPLX 8y agoSort of. I have done a lot of nonfiction writing and reporting, including stuff for newspapers and magazines and so on. So I know the general ability to write at a reasonably high level is there. So I know a book is "in me" in a general sense. But to write a book would still require a lot of practice and trial and error and a serious committment. Which is likely where many others trip up as well.
- CPLX 8y agoThe problem is a lack of skill. The solution is lots of practice.
- btrask 8y agoIt seems to me that you are already a good writer.