I have been reading Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. It is a fascinating look at what makes the most successful people in the world successful. And he talks about the 10,000 hours rule, which in its simplest form just means it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice at something to become the best in the world at it.
And I realized that I've never thought of having to practice writing stories: I knew how to write, so I figured I just had to get on with actually getting a book written. It's not that I ever thought I didn't have a lot to learn about writing (just the opposite, in fact) but it never occurred to me to practice at it. So, since I do want to be a great writer one day, and have yet to complete a work of any length/consequence despite starting dozens of projects, I now have a new outlook on things. I'm not going to give up on any of the unfinished projects that are close to my heart, but I am taking a step back for a bit and I'm going to focus on practicing.
I have started writing every day, working on something completely unlike anything I've done before, and something that is not destined for novelhood at any point. It is being posted on a fanfiction website (subject chosen by a friend as a special request), and it is completely cheesy and fun. It is quite refreshing to write something without any pressure attached to the writing at all - I have gotten quite excited about it, to the point where I look forward to getting up early so that I can work on it. Love the feeling.
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