: Re: How much time should you devote to learning the craft? When is enough, enough? Some writers argue that you don’t need how-to books, just practicing writing. Yet, many writers write beautifully

@Heady158

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Take a minute to think about this: If someone knows so much about writing that they can write a brilliant book about it, why aren't they writing best selling novels or literary classics? Occasionally a brilliant writer will take the time to write about writing (I have a list of rules for short stories by Edgar Alan Poe), but mostly the books appear to written by people who can't make a living out of writing the type of texts they are telling you how to write.

Obviously, you have to learn how to write and you keep learning, but if you've read enough books to know they are repeating each other, in my opinion you have read too many and just need to get on with writing. Of course each one will contain a gem, but why not discover a diamond mine for yourself by actually writing. Instead of digging over other people's dirt hoping to find something they have missed, start your own mine in unexplored territory. Be prepared to look in how-to manuals when you find you're getting too many cave ins, but look for an answer and then get back to digging your shaft.

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