Is "just be consistent" good advice?

[ueonts]

Will I actually improve fast enough if I just "write consistently"? I worry that I will become unintentional with my writing if I don't focus super hard on what I am doing wrong but often times when I do that I end up just throwing away whatever writing process or study method that I have. What are your thoughts?

[HGohwell]

My first question here is what is "fast enough"?

But beyond that I'd say it's fine advice. It's not super good or super bad. You improve by practicing. There is also nothing wrong with being consistently good at something. While it's often more interesting to watch an ambitious failure because at least they tried something new, there's also something to be said for just doing a good job. Never knock a simple job done well, after all. Things like basics are very important. You will improve just by being consistent, and slowly that consistency can become a foundation for something more.

If you're having trouble with throwing things aside, rather than assessing mid-way through, finish, then give yourself sometime. Say "I want to improve X in this project" then finish it, then assess. Never assess a piece of work half way through if you're trying to improve. Much like with art, there's often a point where it's a mess and you just have to keep pushing through and clean up before you can truly judge it. I'd also say, don't focus on what you're doing wrong, focus on what you want to achieve.

[llobucervallince]

@HGohwell @ueonts
Agreed, althought you could also just writte shit for fun and experiment some things, make wacky characters, or simple , or super complex, you could also play with the composition of the story and play with different elements, such as more background explanation, or character inner monologue, jump back and forth throught the timeline.
I only have one advice that worked for me so far, fuck around and find out.
Of course, this is mostly so you don't think about doing it "right", just do it for fun.
Hope this helps

[Katzalcoatl]

"Just be consistant" is not enough. To improve any skill it takes multiple factors and practice is one of the biggest factor but not the only one.

If you want to improve any skill you should study and practice for it. If you can take classes then do so. If you can't then investigate and try asking for advice here and there. Ideally ask for advice with teachers who know the subject. An experienced writer can help you but being experienced in something doesn't mean you can be good at teaching it.

You shouldn't rush. To become an expert at something it usually takes over 10,000 hours. Rushing may get you those 10,000 hours faster but it can also deminish the quality of work/practice you put in those 10,000 hours.

It's not the same to bake a cake in 1 hour than it is to try to rush a cake and do it in 1 minute. If you do it like that your cake will be either raw or burnt.

You seem young so keep practicing and do look for guidance from an experienced teacher. You will also need to read a lot in order to learn from previous writers.

[cherrystark]

Be consistent is good advice. One of the biggest problems that new writers is that they never finish their project.

But to actually improve - study, practice, read, learn your craft. You can churn out a thousand short stories and they could all be garbage. But if you're actually trying to improve with each story, you still might write 1000 garbage short stories, but they should all get progressively better. And by the time you hit 2000 stories, you're "good".

*These numbers are hypothetical, but the point is to continually try to learn.

[Lensing]

-be consistent
-trust the process
-finish your projects
-get feedback
-train
-learn

"just" be consistent is completely useless when you don´t
do the other things