Florence Foster Jenkins is widely known as "the world's worst opera singer."

Madame Florence adored music and had big dreams to become a renowned soprano.

She was diligent in her practice. She performed, recorded, and advocated for herself as an artist.

Yet, her vocals were consistently flat and her rhythm off.

Despite years of practice and an unshakable belief in herself, Florence's voice sounded like an alley cat in the throes of a difficult labor.

Google "Florence Foster Jenkins singing" and you'll see I'm not being a jerk. The woman, sadly, couldn't sing.

She did find a strange version of success.

Many folks enjoyed her concerts... albeit ironically. They found comfort and fascination in unashamed bad singing.

Madame Florence persevered despite universal mockery of her talents.

There's a LOT to admire about her grit. There's a lot to admire in her words:

"People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing."

Yet, I wonder if Madame Florence's blind perseverance and resistance to critique prevented her from reaching her highest potential.

Sometimes, blind grit wastes talent. There's a fantastic Vince Lombardi quote that goes:

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."

While there's some evidence to show that Florence had medical issues that damaged her hearing, I don't think that's the whole story.

Here's my take: Madame Florence wasn't interested in becoming a better opera singer. She was interested in singing and performing. That's it.

Florence Foster Jenkins practiced a lot, but she didn't practice well.

She didn't take healthy criticism and use it to grow. She didn't correct mistakes. She just sang.

Instead of being the world's worst opera singer, Madame Florence could've been amazing...

If she'd practiced better.

How does this relate to you, Reader?

The difference between "bad writing" and "good writing" is perfect practice.

It doesn't matter how many words you write if you never...

• Get critical feedback
• Learn from your mistakes
• Study the craft of creative writing

In my programs, I teach my students a framework called "Captain Your Craft."

This is the model:

Captain Your Craft means: own your evolution as an artist.

It means taking radical, personal responsibility for growing your skills.

Yes, you must write. A lot!

But that's just one piece of the puzzle.

There are three other tools you need to evolve as a writer:

1. Get Trusted, Critical Feedback

Once you've finished a first, second, or third draft, it's time to get feedback. You're too close to your writing to be objective.

The keyword is trusted critical feedback.

Only share your work with a trustworthy and safe mentor or peer.

Someone who'll give you honest yet loving critiques on your work.

Don't have anyone like that in your life? (Trust me, you're not the only one.) Reach out to a professional writing coach or teacher––like me!––who gives healthy feedback for a living.

2. Read Like a Writer

It feels great to read for pleasure. It's also important to read like a writer.

This looks like asking powerful questions about the work you're reading. It looks like underlining resonant passages and asking yourself: "Why is this good?"

It looks like noticing bad writing and asking, "Why is this bad?"

For example, why was Florence Foster Jenkins a bad singer? Because she was consistently flat and off beat.

​Here's more on this topic to help you grow this skill.

3. Define Your Terms

Develop a vocabulary around writing so you can name what's going on in a piece of writing.

This helps you understand what a writer means when they say, "The pacing of this scene is too slow." Or,

"This chapter has too much exposition and not enough imagery or scene. Do more showing than telling."

When you have a strong storytelling vocabulary, you can easily explain why some writing is bad and other writing is good. You have specific words to diagnose the issue.

Which one of these strategies needs the most attention from you, Reader? Hit reply and let me know.

I read and respond to every email.

Write on,
Renee

PS – Back in 2011, I watched a documentary that blew my mind. It was Bad Writing directed by Vernon Lott and featuring David Sedaris, Margaret Atwood, Nick Flynn, and more.

Bad Writing is how I learned about Madame Florence and why it's important to Captain Your Craft.

I recommend this movie to all aspiring creative writers.