There are four things that I constantly rediscover in my career. I'm going to call them the Four Pillars.
They are always available to us, but sometimes it's good to remember and list the things that really make us better at writing.
The Pillars:
Reading - Being wildly in love with books and magazines will help you understand how to make an audience fall wildly in love with your writing. Plus, reading shows us how to be better writers and to avoid mistakes found in yucky books.
Writing - Writing is the practice and the reward. Writing is 90% of what you need to do. Seems obvious, I know. Still some people only think about writing and expect to be satisfied. It's the doing that creates all the fun. We writers have to sit in a chair and pound out those words. No excuses.
Know Other Writers - You can make writing friends, you can go to classes, you can watch interviews, just don't forget to be around other writers. They will give you ideas, solace, camaraderie and a host of other valuable experiences that will enrich your writing life.
Get the Work Out in the World - Writing is communication. You are writing for other people, whether you are comfortable with an audience or not. So find ways to reach your audience. Go to poetry readings, enter writing contests, submit your work to publishers or create notes on Facebook. How will you know how good your writing is unless you let others see it?
Each of these Four Pillars create an equal amount of challenge and benefit for a writer. You will each experience the Pillars differently. They will change in their significance for you as the years pass. But from analyzing my own process, remembering and exploring these Pillars over and over have allowed me continual growth and improvement in a craft I love so well.