One of my favorite quotes is by G. K. Chesterton, as are MANY of my favorite quotes. The one I’m thinking of right now basically says:

“If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.”

Obviously, this doesn’t apply to literally every situation. The math behind constructing a bridge is NOT worth doing badly, at least not if you’re going to physically construct a bridge from it.

The quote absolutely applies to creative hobbies, like painting, drawing, music, dancing, and yes, creative writing. It’s okay to be an amateur at one or more of these thing and not pursue professional success. All “amateur” means is that it is done for the LOVE of the thing. That’s the root of the word. LOVE.

There are two things that go into such a hobby or craft as creative writing. The first is passion, love, drive. That is innate. You either have it or you don’t. You are drawn to write 100,000 word fantasy novels that inspire and thrill you, as I am, or you are not.

The second is skill. This can, to a real degree, be LEARNED and PRACTICED, and will improve with practice. In the case of writing, this involves things like pacing, scene and sentence structure, grammar, how to edit.

Some with learn easier than others. Some will have more natural talent than others. But we can all improve our baseline skill level.

I wonder if there is any writer whose very first novel isn’t TERRIBLE. I wouldn’t be surprised if many have written failed first books. I certainly did. Mine is unsalvageable and unpublished (as I’ve said before.) I love it for what it is. I was an English major, and after writing and working with it for a few years, I learned what was wrong with it and what mistakes to avoid as I moved on to write my Herezoth trilogy. The result was a workable first draft of The Crimson League.

I am trying to make a go of writing as a professional now, but I was an amateur for years and years. I loved every second of it, too.

Don’t be afraid to be an amateur, to love and hone whatever creative endeavors appeal to you, even if you have a lot to learn and a lot of growth to make. There’s NOTHING wrong with being an amateur.