Patricia Johns

Recently, I met a reader who is a huge fan! He just loves my books, and it was such a treat to meet him and his wife.

He asked me how much work it takes to put together a book, and I told him that I’m in front of my computer doing various chores and writing for about 10 hours a day. He said, “It doesn’t just come out of the blue, does it? I guess that makes sense that someone would get good at something with a lot of hard work.”

He told me that he’d met Liona Boyd (a Canadian classical guitarist) and she said that she practiced 8 hours a day when she didn’t have performances, and 10-12 hours a day when she did! She’s incredibly skilled, but that doesn’t come without the work. It’s talent plus practice.

The formula is pretty simple: pour a lot of time into something you love a lot.

Patricia Johns

If you look at doctors, physicists, basketball players, artists, small business owners, mechanics, teachers… the thing that sets them apart is talent, yes, but also the insane amount of work they put into growing their skill. Those computer programmers who come up with the tech that makes our lives easier? They’ve been coding and poring over their nerdy interests in every spare minute since childhood.

And it really is as simple as that! It takes time and focus to get good at something. And if you love your craft enough (and I mean if you really love it!), you’ll put that time in because there is nothing else you’d rather be doing. When you’re not doing it, you’re thinking about it. When you aren’t working on it, you’re frustrated.

I hope to climb and grow and get even better at my craft. And to those who want to be writers, too, that’s my advice. Throw yourself into it! Write, write, write. Read, read, read. Obsess. Throw balance to the wind. Put in the time, and you get better with practise.

I’m trusting the process, too!

Happy reading (and writing)!

❤