Getting started as a writer: Laying the groundwork

[Ransom v. Unman]

I liked this quote:

To whit:

Reason #12: You Think Grammar is the Amish Word for Your Mom's Mom

Reason #14: Your Spelling is Atrowshus

Being a writer is difficult, and learning to be a good writer can be a painful process. The first stuff I wrote at age 18 was, quite frankly, terrible--despite a few people telling me they liked it. But you know what? If there hadn't been people telling me they liked it I probably wouldn't have latched on to the dream of being a writer.

Here, here!

Story of my life in any of my pursuits, frankly. I think most writers start out as rough-diamonds, and it's only through a painstaking process that the jewels of our talent are allowed to shine.

Unless you're some flipping prodigy who automatically understands all the subtleties and groundrules that allow great writers to be writers (a gifting far more rare, in my mind, than mathematical or musical prodigies), in which case you can bite me.

[Quantum Ted]

Actually, for me, the fun part is writing the story, the draft, or whatever one wants to call it. The hard part for me is what comes after, the re-writing, the editing, etc. That's the part I'm still bad at, but absolutely necessary. So I just keep on learning as much as I can, while little by little, I'm polishing and scubbing my manuscript.

The more I've learned, the more I've realized how far my draft actually was from a finished product.

Another thing I've learned, any manuscript, no matter how good, is only a draft until someone actually publishes the book, lol.

[Tarin]

Unless you're some flipping prodigy who automatically understands all the subtleties and groundrules that allow great writers to be writers (a gifting far more rare, in my mind, than mathematical or musical prodigies), in which case you can bite me.

I'd go so far as to say nonexistent. Grammar and writing aren't one of those inherent skills wired into the human psyche (like music and math). The very fact that grammar varies wildly from language to language and dialect to dialect indicates it's something that has to be learned.

[Ransom v. Unman]

Yet there are some who from an early age show precocious tendencies with regard to language...

They can still follow my previous instructions.

[Tarin]

Okay, I gotcha - and I agree with you. But there is just a slight difference between "automatically understanding" and having "precocious tendencies."