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Monday, December 6, 2021

Writing Well is an Acquired Craft

     For some reason everyone thinks, "I should know how to write." No one thinks, "I should know how to play the piano." But when it comes to writing, "I should know how to do it."
     What if I told you a story about a man who buys a piano, sits down to play for the very first time and is shocked when he doesn't sound like Arthur Rubinstein?
     "I don't understand," he complains. "I've listened to lots of music, I should know how to play the piano."
     Ridiculous, you say? Yet there you are. You're mortified when your work isn't as good as Ernest Hemingway's.
Joel Saltzman, If You Can Talk, You Can Write, 1993 

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