We’ve all heard it before—the old “10,000 hours to mastery” idea. It’s everywhere, from writing advice blogs to motivational speeches. And like a lot of popular ideas, it’s been simplified to the point of nonsense.Because here’s the truth: simply putting in 10,000 hours doesn’t automatically make you a master at anything. You could hole up in a cave and write for 10,000 hours and still feel stuck if you’re not practicing deliberately.
The “10,000 hours” concept actually comes from a 1993 study by Anders Ericsson and his colleagues, which Malcolm Gladwell popularized in Outliers. But the original idea wasn’t “just do something long enough and you’ll be brilliant.” It was about how you practice. There are three key parts to real skill development:
- Have a goal. You need to know what you’re working toward so you can measure progress.
- Use deliberate practice. That means focusing on the things you struggle with, not just repeating what you’re already good at.
- Get feedback. Improvement doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You need outside perspectives.
This post came from conversations I’ve had with writers who tell me, “I’ve been writing for years, but I’m not getting anywhere.” Often, the frustration comes from setting goals that aren’t actually within your control, like landing an agent, getting traditionally published, or hitting bestseller lists.
You can’t control whether an agent picks your manuscript or how many people buy your book. But you can control your craft. Goals like improving your dialogue, tightening pacing, deepening character arcs, or writing more vivid settings those are within your power.
When I first started writing, structure was my biggest struggle. My brain moves fast like, a thousand miles an hour in a thousand directions and trying to wrangle all my ideas into something coherent felt impossible. Then, while taking a class on teaching special needs students, I discovered mind mapping. The software I used doesn’t exist anymore, but the method changed everything.
Mind mapping let me capture my chaotic ideas on paper before I tried to organize them. It gave me a visual roadmap for my stories and helped me make sense of the whirlwind in my head. If you struggle to get your ideas out in a linear way, try it. You don’t need fancy software just pen and paper will do.
So, how does this tie into the 10,000-hour theory for writers? For me, it was about focused, deliberate practice. I didn’t just write drafts, I studied story structure, I asked for feedback, and I restructured entire books. Over time, that kind of practice made me better.
When I felt like I’d finally gotten a handle on structure, I moved on to deepening character development. I studied, read everything I could, took classes, and applied what I learned to my next book. One of my NaNoWriMo novels, Double Six, came out of that process. It’s one of my favorites, and it even won the 2020 Goldie award for Erotica. But it wasn’t magic. It was focused effort and feedback, applied over and over again.
Here’s the thing: you can’t control external success. But you can control how you approach your craft. Writing is a skill. It’s something you can improve through study and practice, even if progress feels slow.
So if you’re feeling stuck, here’s what I want you to do:
- Step back and look at your writing with clear eyes.
- Pick one area—just one—that you want to improve.
- Study it. Practice it. Ask for feedback.
- Apply what you learn in your next project.
That’s how you grow. Not by clocking hours, but by being intentional with your time and effort.
And please, please, don’t sell yourself short. You’re not “bad at” structure or dialogue or description; you’re just still learning. Everyone starts somewhere. Folks with Neurodivergent brains, creative people, those of us who don’t process or think like everyone else, are often told to “settle” or “give up,” and that breaks my heart. You don’t have to settle. You can absolutely improve. It might take longer, or look different, but you can do it.
So, don’t let those inner critics, or outer ones convince you to stop. You have stories to tell. You have a voice worth hearing. And the only way to get better at writing is to write. Not just read about it or talk about it, but sit down, open that document, and start.
Every hour you spend deliberately practicing moves you closer to mastery. You get to define what success means for you. You get to decide what growth looks like.
Now go write your next 10,000 intentional hours. I’m cheering for you,
Until next time, Happy Writing!
Want more writing advice? Tune into my podcast Writing While Distracted, available wherever you listen to podcasts or click here