Acquired Skills

I played competitive sports until my children were born and they all participated on numerous athletic teams in high school and college. My daughter has one more year of high school softball and they've already started indoor practices.  They practice a lot. Hours and hours.  They practice hitting, fielding and throwing.  They practice strategies for baserunning and defense.  Practice, practice, practice.  Sure, lots of the girls have natural coordination but they weren't born softball players.  They learned it.  They acquired the skills needed to play the game and they practice so they can play even better.

from FB

Yes, it's time for one of my comparisons of sports to writing.  People aren't born writers.  They learn how to write.  They practice skills they learn from one source or another.  Then they practice some more.  They attend workshops, take classes, and attend conferences.  They study the art in its successful forms by doing lots of reading.  They share information with others in the field and help each other.  They improve their skills as they go and learn you can never practice too much.  And even when they reach the championship level and have a book published, writers need to keep practicing. Writer is an acquired skill and is only acquired by those willing to practice endless hours and hone their skills to perfection.