Day 4 – Practice
In today’s challenge, Jeff Goins tells us that practice doesn’t make perfect. He encourages writers to stop rehearsing and get out on the stage to perform.
Stage Fright
I’ve been a flute and piano teacher for years, and know the daily grind of practice. The one thing I always hated as a young musician were those dreaded recitals and auditions. I’d practice and practice for them. I had my music flawless (in my mind – I’m sure my teacher saw it differently!).
And then I’d walk onto that stage, all the lights glaring at me, and it was just me and my flute. And a hundred eyes staring at me. It was the stuff of nightmares, when you try to talk and nothing comes out. I’d bring my flute up, having no idea what the audience would hear. I thought my fear was that I would squeak or play wrong notes. But deep down, I was really afraid people wouldn’t like what I played, that I wouldn’t be good enough.
That I wasn’t really a musician.
When I actually got the nerve up to play, the squeaks and missed notes came. But this strange thing started happening. Each time I performed, I learned from my previous preparation, and I got a little better. And I learned how to play for an audience, even if my performance wasn’t perfect.
I was learning how to be a musician in front of hundreds of people. By the time I graduated college, those nerves were still there, but I had a confidence I didn’t possess when I first started playing the flute.
Writing Practice
When I started this blog, it was one of the scariest things I could think of to do. What would people think? Would they like what I’d have to say? What if I couldn’t think of anything to write each week?
But week after week, the ideas came. The blog posts got better (I hope), and the fear started to go away. I’m still growing as a writer, but what better way to practice than to share your passions and love of writing, and let others read your work?
The Challenge
Find a way to start practicing your writing for others. If you’ve been afraid to blog, why not give it a try? Or why not start submitting those articles for publication and see what happens? It might not be as scary as you think!
Check out Jeff’s blog post today: goinswriter.com/practice-perfect
