When will you know enough?

I own a very distinct approach to writing and it consists of this...WRITE. A writer must write and there is no better way to learn how to practice the craft of writing than to write.

There are thousands of teachers in life and online who want to teach you how to write. They will teach you what has worked for them or other writers, but won't necessarily work for you, and they will collect lots of your money for teaching you. I'm not saying you should never take a writing course at all but some people are so busy “Learning” how to write that they never write. How do you think prolific writers become so prolific? It's simple, they write and write and write. If writing is drudgery to you then you have to consider that you may not really be a writer, just a wanna be writer. A course on grammar is always helpful but continual courses on how to write can do more harm than good.

What do you think it's going to take, how many courses must you take, until you feel accomplished enough to actually write? Pick up the pen, fire up the keyboard and just simply begin to write. Do you need an outline? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. It all depends on how your mind operates and what works for you when you start a short story or novel. I hate outlines, I've tried to use them in the past and I ended up discarding them. I found they impeded creativity. I just write. I let the story and the characters develop naturally, this is the method that works for me. Find the one that works for you. You won't find it by perpetual courses in person or online.

Read, read, read the works of other writers (famous and unknown) as time allows. On days you don't feel like writing, write anyway, even if it's for a short time and a few pages. You will never become a unique author by following the style and methods of writing instructors. Write and write some more until you find your own method and most importantly, your own voice. Once you find that voice, never lose it in homage to some other writer or instructor. Method is necessary but voice is priceless. Find your own, these are things no one else can teach you.

The styles of writers down through the centuries are more numerous than we could count, and as unique as snowflakes, but you aren't them, you are you. You have something unique that no one else has in their method and especially their voice. Don't be afraid to just write. No amount of writing lessons can give you what already lives within your heart and your intellect. Don't feel that you don't know enough and you aren't good enough to write something worthwhile to read. If you have a desire to write, WRITE.