The Three Steps of Writing

    I've heard it said that there are no "Three Steps of Writing," and I think it's true. In order to write the best way you can, there are a myriad of techniques, teachers, styles, personalities and quirks. Your writing style, and the way you write (trust me, those are different things), will be developed over a long period of learning and experience. And so, there are no "Three Steps of Writing Well."
    However, I believe that there are three simple steps to getting actual writing done, and they are all needed in order to learn how to write well.
    Step one is simple: Read. What you read will be reflected in your writing. I think that Luke 6:45 sums it up nicely: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Basically, that means that what you spend a lot of your time or thought on will be reflected in your actions or words. There is nothing you can read that has no effect on you -- it can affect you positively, negatively, or just confuse you, but
 everyone writes for a reason, that writing cannot be unread and its effects can be long lasting. Read a lot. Read what you want to write like, read different styles, read old writing and new writing, read both fiction and nonfiction, read poetry as well as prose, read about writing.
    Step two: Write. It's as simple as that. Learning about writing is important, and reading is important, but no matter how much of either you do, the surest way to improve is to write. You will never really be able to write as well as you want, but with (lots of) learning and (lots and lots and LOTS of) writing, you will be able to write well enough to put what you want on paper, the way you want it.
    Step three: Revise. Just plain writing will never be enough. Your first draft will always have something in it that needs tweaking, or taken out, or added in. That's the point of a first draft: it is nothing more than getting your framework on paper. Nothing will ever be perfect the first time around.
    In reality, writing is quite simple. In the words of Gene Fowler, "Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

~Maria