Encarta defines craft as "a profession or activity that requires skill, training, experience, or specialized knowledge.
Master crafters are the best of the best. And being a master takes years of practice, learning, perfecting. Endless hours serving as an apprentice.
Dedication lives in the heart of a master. For writers, this means writing every day, studying other writers, and rewriting to improve and to apply (to our work) the skills we learn.
Most of us don't have the privilege of a mentor. Neither did Checkhov, Poe, or Joyce. If we're graced with talent, we still devote hours honing our craft.
When writing is life-changing, thought-provoking and beautiful, it is art. Consider craft and art as the preparation and presentation of writers.
Sometimes, we get ahead of the process and make a presentation of our work before the preparation is complete. This can leave an unappealing, unsatisfying taste in a reader's palate. Quite discouraging for a writer.
Don't be so anxious to send your work to an agent or an editor. Let the story perculate, simmer. When it rises, punch it down like bread dough; let it rise a second time. Patience and hard work will pay off in the long run.
Write, rewrite, study. Prepare. Present. Any questions?
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