Sharpening the Saw

There's an old story about a man who was trying to cut down a tree. He was working long and hard and not getting very far. A traveler came along and could see what a hard time the woodsman was having. After watching the woodsman labor for a short time, it became apparent the poor man was using a very dull saw.

The traveler asked how long it had been since the worker had sharpened his saw. "Oh, I don't have time for that. I'm too busy sawing."

Reading one article per day from your favorite writer's magazine, or one chapter a day in a how-to-book will sharpen your saw, hone your writing skills, and make your writing much better - and probably go faster too.

It's a little like priming the old-fashioned pumps. You had to pour a little water into the pump to get it working, then a clear stream of refreshing liquid poured forth. We have to pour a little expert advice into our brain to spark the natural creativity that's there; then that wonderful, clear prose can pour forth to refresh our readers.

When I started writing, I was in a terrible rush to finish the re-write on the book Covenant had accepted. When this concept was suggested, I couldn't bear to stop writing to read "how to do it" - instead, I just plowed on through the manuscript as if I knew what I was doing. (I didn't.)

Now fifteen years and twelve books later, after taking a couple of years off from writing, I picked up an old story to finish. But upon reading it, I decided my saw was definitely not sharp enough after all that time. I began reading articles that I had saved from old writer's magazines before I tossed them (I was cleaning out my writer's closet.) I discovered some absolute gems there - suggestions that I immediately incorporated that made the story so much better. So now on my list of things to do everyday is "Read one article on writing." As long as I'm writing, I might as well take advantage of all the great advice from master craftsmen that's available. And hopefully, this will be the best book ever!