Wednesday 25 July 2012

Writing Regularly

Finally I have been able to start my deliberate practise for writing regularly. I was accepted on an apprenticeship programme on Hubpages.com. HubPages allows you to publish Web articles on anything you like. I applied for the program because I would have a chance to put my intention of deliberate practise into action. I would be compelled to write quality articles regularly. My team members would give feedback on my writing and I would be able to learn as I practise.

Below are the articles I have written so far:

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Save Money

Becoming a Vegan

Vegan Recipe Guide

Canterbury New Zealand Tourism

Sunday 8 April 2012

Deliberate Practise for World-class Writing


The word 'Practise' with a 's' instead of a 'c' is the British way of spelling it and means the same thing. When I looked for my blog name with variations on 'deliberate practise' they were all taken!! After trying other phrases and nothing fit the topic I wanted to write on, I looked in the dictionary and found that the word could be spelt with a 's'. I immediately checked if it was available and it was! Hence I will be using the British spelling in my blogs.

The first time I came across this phrase 'deliberate practise' it was a light bulb moment. I had finally found the attitude I must take towards my writing passion. So far my writing activity has been in spurts and has lacked focus and consistency. I had been searching for a method which would help me hone my skills and let me know how much effort is required. I even made S.M.A.R.T. Goals to give me a direction to aim for in my journey to become a professional writer.

'Perfect' practise makes Perfect
Tim Boyd, the National President of the Theosophical Society in America said that he had realized that 'practise does not make Perfect' but 'Perfect practise makes Perfect'. He shared this insight when he was talking about spiritual practise. It can be applied to any field in which we want to succeed.

The phrase 'deliberate practise' means constantly engaging in activity that stretches your current capability beyond your comfort zone but not so far that you regress. The research of academics such as K. Anders Ericsson and Benjamin Bloom found that to be truly world-class, you need to systematically engage in 'deliberate practise'. It was found that as a general rule, world-class performers in all fields tend to have committed at least 10,000 hours to this kind of practise.

I have started documenting my 10,000 hours and am writing everyday from yesterday. I will also be focusing my work on adding relevant articles on Hubpages.