Pic Courtesy: Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash Writing is a bit like a long distance race. First and foremost, you have to be passionate about it--ask a runner why she runs and you'll know that it's all about passion. But is passion enough to make you a good professional athlete or a writer? For a writer, passion is a great starting point but it's not enough. You need to train, prepare, hone your craft, practise, practise, practise. But where is the time to do all that, you may ask. The large majority of writers struggle with day jobs, caring for children, pets and parents and multiple other activities. And, there are only so many hours in a day. Passion will get you to a point where you find the time to write. But passion alone is not enough. You need to learn your craft. That would mean reading about the art and craft of writing as well as reading books--both within and outside--the genre in which you are writing. Reading is important because that will def...