The Craft of Writing

People ask me how to become a writer.  It's a difficult question to answer.  I taught writing for over twenty years at colleges and universities.  But I don't think it's really possible to teach anyone to write.  Let me explain.

First, I think the job of a writing teacher is to teach students how to teach themselves.  Writing is a deeply personal experience, and everyone has something different to say, a unique take on life and a unique style to convey the story.  How can anyone possibly teach a student the proper sequence of words to put on a blank page?  The best we as teachers can do is to guide and inspire through the wise and judicious use of critique over and above correcting overt grammatical mistakes.

Second, I think that, while many people can indeed be inspired to write well, truly great writers are simply born with the skill.  They have a natural facility with language that is nurtured by reading and writing constantly.  These last habits are the most crucial elements in honing one's craft, and successful writers are those who have developed a lifetime love affair with letters.

We are now a visually-oriented culture.  Text is being replaced by photographs and streaming video.  people text or tweet in 140 characters or less.  Is it a wonder that fewer and fewer people know how to write a decent sentence?

~William Hammett

Index of Articles

Believe in Your Work
Children's Nonfiction: It's Now More Popular
The Craft of Writing
Daily Transit Public Ridership
The eBook Revolution
Fifty Shades of Boring
George Clayton Johnson: Fictioneer by Vivien Kooper
Ghostwriting: The Decline of Professionalism
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
Is Journal Writing Worth the Effort?
Literary Agents
Kindle Direct Publishing (Select)
The Novella is Back and Thriving
Print-on-Demand
Promoting Your Book
The Quest for Literary Representation
The Rewards of Being a Writer
Short Fiction
Smashwords
What Is Developmental Editing
Why Do People Write?
Writing Celebrity Memoirs
Writing a Novel
Writing as a Full-time Job
Writing as a Mystical Process
You Own the Copyright to Your Literary Property
Zen in the Art of Writing