Someone once said the pen is mightier than the sword. He might be correct, but the pen and the sword both require practice and mastery. Without those elements, you’re liable to nick an artery, club your head, lop off someone else’s head by accident, or falter beneath a flurry of sword strikes.
Ringing steel
Drops of ink
Words chopped
You must prepare, every day, to battle and wield words. Get on the practice field. Run drills. Work with an editor. Seek out a mentor. Build a community of fellow word-wielders.
Maneuvers
A step, a counter
Shield and strike
Perfect the execution. Pursue the well-placed line. Look for gaps in your defense: adjectives, adverbs, clichés, filler words. Seek the offense, too. Rely on concrete verbs and nouns, rhythm, imagery, poetry.
Positions, ready
Begin
Begin again
Learn to fight. Navigate the writer’s block and criticism. Step off the line and avoid the blow. Throw the opponent. Wheel and strike. Strike again. These words are yours. Wield them. Claim them. Be the better writer. Stand your ground and fight.
Image: Hans Splinter (Creative Commons)