Recently,
I read through my first published short story. I couldn't believe the number of
small mistakes such as filter words and word echoes in that story. Looking at
it now, I think it's lucky someone decided to publish it. Last night I was
making some more touches to my recently-finished novel. Once again, I spotted
several word choices that I know now not to do.
At
one point, I thought there would be a time when my writing would become fully developed.
It seems no matter how much effort I put
into a piece, however, I could always write it better if I came back to it
later. Now, I'm thinking that moment I 'arrive' as a writer will never come,
and that's actually a good thing.
Would
you really want to reach a point where your writing, or any other endeavor for
that matter, stops improving? Athletes
don't stop training the moment they win the gold medal. Most business men do
not stop earning money after they reach their first million.
One
advantage of writing is your words are permanent. You can see exactly what you
wrote a year ago, twenty years ago, or even in your first story. It gives you a great yardstick for measuring
your progress year to year. Hopefully,
that progress will never stop.
