You will hear the “hone your craft” cliché many, many times as a writer, but not from me. I have heard that phrase so often that it makes whatever I recently ate want to exchange its one-way ticket for a round-trip ticket. UGH! You will probably never hear or see me use that phrase, because of that.
Hone your craft is a cliché
Writing experts tell people not to use clichés in their writing. Well, guess what? “Hone your craft” is a cliché! What’s disappointing is that even famous writers use it. I realize it’s probably because it’s shorthand, it’s an easy way to communicate what they mean. It’s the lazy way, and, worse, it’s just so tired and worn out. There has to be a better way to convey the message of “practice until you get good at it.”
Let’s choose other words and phrases, shall we?
- Polish your writing.
- Write more concisely.
- Improve.
- Practice.
- Develop your skills.
- Learn more.
- Increase your ability to bring characters to life.
- Communicate more effectively.
- Get better at getting inside the reader’s head.
- Improve incrementally.
- Make adjustments.
- Sharpen the saw.
There. Those comprise a much wider range, and all say the same thing as “hone your craft.” Those all say, “become a better writer.” Ah! There’s another one. None of us will ever have to resort to using that old, tired, nausea-inducing phrase.
Practical tips. That is what you can expect from my ebook and the ecourse designed to go with it: practical help, resources, and coaching.