Friday, February 10, 2012

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. 

14 comments:

Maria Zannini said...

If it weren't for my mistakes, I wouldn't be interesting at all. :)

Bossy Betty said...

Yes! I totally agree with this!!! Amen!

Miranda Hardy said...

It is a learned skill. The more you study, the better you become.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

We never learn it all.
I like that saying!

jan said...

Great analogy and so true.

Tonja said...

I think practice makes you better at anything you do. I also think we are predisposed to learn certain things more easily than others.

I distinctly remember that day in gym class when the teacher was determined he could teach me to hit a softball - by the end of class he conceded he was wrong.

Golden Eagle said...

Definitely--the more a writer practices, the more they improve. :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Guess we're all into that practice thing. Tonja, I am a PE teacher and I never met a student I couldn't teach to hit a ball. If you ever try again, try hitting from the other side of the plate. Hitting is about eye dominance, not hand dominance.

Jemi Fraser said...

Definitely! I think playing sports teaches you all kinds of lessons - and this is a great one! :)

Arlee Bird said...

My father used to repeat the practice mantra and I tended to resist. Now I wish I had practiced more of the things that I did. Practice makes you better at what you do.


Lee
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Creepy Query Girl said...

absolutely! Writing is like every other skill. It takes time and practice and real passion to make a profession out of it! Looking forward to your post for the origins blogfest!

septembermom said...

Thank you for this important reminder to me that I need to keep working on honing this skill :) Great post Susan!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I love that sign!

PR said...

Hey, thanks for stopping by my blog and becoming a follower. We are natural born learners. No-one knows how to walk and talk, it's something we practice until we get it right :)