Hone Your Craft

If you are a writer, an artiste, an artist - or collectively put, "a creative" -then you have probably heard of the phrase that 'practice makes perfect.'
So, why should you practice?
Well, to hone your craft- that's why. So, what does it mean to home your craft? It simply means to get the most out of or to optimize what you have. It's good to make good use of what you have, but when it comes to Art- simply practising does not cut it. You have to practice with an agenda, not because you can master time or stick to a schedule or routine, but to also set targets that you can accomplish. 

My mentor shared with me the need for honing my craft because of late, I have not shared any  short story or published an ebook on Smashwords and I expressed frustration at this laxity. The first thing he did was to ask me what I was doing about it, and this got many excuses from me with the greatest lie being that I had no time. Truth is, I have time to read a book in a car or while sitting under a tree in some rural school- so taking time to write would not be a hassle.

Have you thought about honing your craft? Or simply building up on a good quality or skill that you possess? Well, truth is you can, and what do you need?

1. Discipline
2. Patience  

Why do you need these two?

Well, everyone has time- the only difference is how they prioritize their objectives. We have the power to choose, and as such we all have time and the choice to make time to do something.

So, discipline is like the backbone of honing your craft. I used to write every afternoon and evening and sometimes when I had an idea, but now given that I have a goal to achieve, I have scheduled my time and notebook to reflect exactly what I need and when I need it.

I write snippets of my to-be-published in Kenya novel- #Currents and also a novella for smashwords.

I know that between 7am to 2pm, I should have a minimum of six hundred words every day. This is part of discipline because sticking to a regime fruitfully is not an easy task.

As for patience, it simply means when you are creating something- give it your best and this needs patience not only to understand the pressure of the process but to also accept it and use it for your own good.

So- whatever you do, know that you need not just to practice but to do so effectively by being patient during the creative process and also disciplined to stick with it till the end.

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