Doing the work makes you better

Write.

Get up. Everyday. And write a little.

If I condense all the writing advice that actually works into one idea, it would be this.

Everyone has their own tools and methods and habits and routines. What works for one writer may not work for you. Maybe you like to write in the evenings or in the morning or maybe you like a Moleskin notepad and I like a Macbook Pro. Whatever works for you is what works for you. The question isn’t to ask what pencil Stephen King uses to write with.

The one thing that all great writers share in common is that they practice their craft consistently. Every day they get better. Every day they do what they do and the next day they go back and revise what they’ve done and learn from their mistakes.

Point is, they write. Writers write. Musicians make music. Artists make art. That is to say they practice, deliberately, with intent. Every day, they set aside time to learn and to make their stuff better.

It’s as simple (and exceptionally difficult) as that.

*In case it isn't obvious, this applies to all sorts of skills you're not good at, from public speaking to coding, to sports to cooking.