{"id":2323,"date":"2025-10-14T16:23:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T16:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.writingwhiledistracted.com\/?p=2323"},"modified":"2025-10-14T16:23:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T16:23:33","slug":"writing-its-not-about-the-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.writingwhiledistracted.com\/?p=2323","title":{"rendered":"Writing: it’s Not About the Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We\u2019ve all heard it before\u2014the old \u201c10,000 hours to mastery\u201d idea. It\u2019s everywhere, from writing advice blogs to motivational speeches. And like a lot of popular ideas, it\u2019s been simplified to the point of nonsense.Because here\u2019s the truth: simply putting in 10,000 hours doesn\u2019t 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\u2019re not practicing deliberately.<\/p>\n

The \u201c10,000 hours\u201d concept actually comes from a 1993 study by Anders Ericsson and his colleagues, which Malcolm Gladwell popularized in\u00a0Outliers<\/em>. But the original idea wasn\u2019t \u201cjust do something long enough and you\u2019ll be brilliant.\u201d It was about\u00a0how<\/strong>\u00a0you practice. There are three key parts to real skill development:<\/p>\n

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  1. Have a goal.<\/strong>\u00a0You need to know what you\u2019re working toward so you can measure progress.<\/li>\n
  2. Use deliberate practice.<\/strong>\u00a0That means focusing on the things you struggle with, not just repeating what you\u2019re already good at.<\/li>\n
  3. Get feedback.<\/strong>\u00a0Improvement doesn\u2019t happen in a vacuum. You need outside perspectives.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This post came from conversations I\u2019ve had with writers who tell me, \u201cI\u2019ve been writing for years, but I\u2019m not getting anywhere.\u201d Often, the frustration comes from setting goals that aren\u2019t actually within your control, like landing an agent, getting traditionally published, or hitting bestseller lists.<\/p>\n

    You can\u2019t control whether an agent picks your manuscript or how many people buy your book. But you\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0control your craft. Goals like improving your dialogue, tightening pacing, deepening character arcs, or writing more vivid settings those are within your power.<\/p>\n

    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\u2019t exist anymore, but the method changed everything.<\/p>\n

    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\u2019t need fancy software just pen and paper will do.<\/p>\n

    So, how does this tie into the 10,000-hour theory for writers? For me, it was about\u00a0focused, deliberate practice<\/strong>. I didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

    When I felt like I\u2019d 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,\u00a0Double Six<\/em>, came out of that process. It\u2019s one of my favorites, and it even won the 2020 Goldie award for Erotica. But it wasn\u2019t magic. It was focused effort and feedback, applied over and over again.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s the thing: you can\u2019t control external success. But you can control how you approach your craft. Writing is a skill. It\u2019s something you can improve through study and practice, even if progress feels slow.<\/p>\n

    So if you\u2019re feeling stuck, here\u2019s what I want you to do:<\/p>\n