“Write every day. It doesn’t matter how much. It doesn’t matter how bad it is. You must write every day, or you’re not a writer.”
Oh man. What junk advice this is, and nearly every writer encounters it. If you want to be a good writer, if you want to get published, if you want to prove what it takes… write every day. Or else.
Look, some people do write every day. Good for them! However, a lot of other people don’t or can’t. For instance, I take time to edit and revise and run ads and prep blog posts and all sorts of things that are connected to writing but aren’t actually writing in the strictest sense.
And there are days where I just have to take the day off. Time to go for a walk, enjoy the great outdoors, spend time with the kids, or just sit and read a good book. Or a bad book. You know, just a book.
No, you’re not less of a writer if you don’t write every day.
But beware a lie equally insidious: Only write when the muse visits.
Oh, ick.
Yes, some days the muse will visit. Some days you will type as fast as your heart beats as it thunders in your ears, and every syllable will be joyous and sublime. Savor those days.
But if you aim to be a writer, you must also write when you don’t feel like it. Words will not always come easily, and not every story will flow fluently from your pen. Writing is work, and no writer will be able to complete much without that labor.
That’s correct. Write when you don’t feel like it. Build up those writing muscles.
So how do you find the right middle? Don’t worry about writing every day, but also write when you don’t feel like it?
My advice: Find a routine and stick with it as long as possible. Write for twenty minutes a night right before bed. Write for two hours a day right after supper. Write four hours a weekend. Find a schedule that’s realistic for your current season of life, and then stick with it.
Every day? Don’t worry about it.
Wait for the muse? Naw. Surprise her with how much you get done before she arrives.
Get writing.
Jonathon Mast: Author 