Yeah, What I Said Is The Sorrow And The Pity All Over Again, Ain't It

I'M ALL FOR SCRAPPING the stupid slogan "writing is a craft" because it makes about as much sense  as to assert "talking is a craft,"  so as to try to shut someone up when you don't like what they say but have no arguments to make against it.  I've read it written and heard it said by some pretty unimpressive writers who had nothing worth reading or hearing no matter what rules they hew to,  I say it that way noting that by using the word "hew" some total idiot might, possibly, in rather stupid assertion, believe I'm advocating they do so with an axe or other heavy chopping implement.  That is about as probable as what I was accused of doing.  "Writing is a craft" isn't a very crafty cliche of Strukian lower-mid-brow erudition because it is meaningless.  Though I wouldn't pretend to not understand what it really means, "I got nothin'."  

"Writing is a craft" is something that conceited asses say to discourage people from writing and anything that discourages anyone from writing is anti-egalitarian and anti-democratic. If everyone wrote every day and honestly read what they wrote, I think we'd all be a lot better off because there are few ways to more effectively find out what's wrong with your thinking.

Write what you want to, read what you wrote, edit it if you think of a way you might get your point across better - if that's what you want.   If someone complains that your writing doesn't match their conception of piss elegance tell them to blow it out their ass.  But only if that's what you want to say.

Update:  Anyone who believes anyone except someone too stupid to read it in the first place would believe "Every time I read more about this pandemic the more I am afraid that this is going to change everything for good," means I am afraid it was going to change things for the better is too stupid to be giving critical advice about writing.  Anyone who believes anyone who is that stupid is to be believed in their criticism is an even more credulous sucker who willingly gives people reason to believe they might just BE that stupid.  Apparently there are such people at Duncan Black's "brain trust" (yes, they really have called themselves that unironically).  

Don't worry, this has about run its course, I've got to get out in the garden, it's just it rained here yesterday and I've been waiting for the greenery to dry off.

Update The Last:  I know from long experience with the idiots of Duncan Black's "brain trust" (which is something they do call themselves) that it's not going to teach them anything but here is the first definition of the English idiom "for good" at the Idioms section of the Free Online Dictionary:

for good
1. Permanently; indefinitely; forever. After she found out about his latest relapse with drugs, she decided it was best to leave him for good. He got locked up again—this time for good.

I include it, not because they're especially skilled at the 4th grade level of dictionary skills or mind being so slow but to rub their noses in it, for the satisfaction, not because I suspect it will teach them anything, they're ineducable.