Comments on: Do you really have to write every single day?

By: Little Willow

Little Willow — Sat, 20 May 2006 22:29:06 +0000

Thanks. I ought to patent that.

By: Corey

Corey — Fri, 19 May 2006 00:31:39 +0000

There’s no doubt it’s subjective. For those of you who are gifted (cursed?) enough to have made writing a part-time job, I would imagine a more habitual method is the most effective way to stay committed. For those like me who have it as a guilty after-5pm pleasure, the excitement of being *able* to write is all the motivation it takes. ‘Daily’ is not always attainable, but it’s always a goal.

By: may

may — Thu, 18 May 2006 21:31:26 +0000

i try to write every day, but i don’t get too upset if i miss a couple of days here and there.

to get any writing done at all, i needed to make it a habit. if i stop for too long, it’s hard to get back into the habit.

i tend to write at the same speed from beginning to the end, so maybe it’s right for me, but not for somebody else.

By: Sean Williams

Sean Williams — Thu, 18 May 2006 12:45:11 +0000

the really creepy thing, the thing that freaks me out the *most* about this crazy job, is that what works for me one year is in no way guaranteed to work the year after, or the year after that, or ever again in fact. i feel like i’m running on a treadmill that’s constantly changing speed and angle. as charles brown likes to say: “writing is the only job that gets harder the longer you do it.” but maybe he’s been hanging out with writers too long. that’s definitely the impression you’d get, from the way we carry on about it.

By: Barry Lyga

Barry Lyga — Thu, 18 May 2006 00:02:14 +0000

I’ve found that writing every single day is, in the end, pretty unsustainable for me on an ongoing basis. When I’m deep into a project, yeah, I go for hours and hours every day, with no end in sight. But I usually crash after that and need some time where I don’t even think about touching a keyboard in order to recharge the batteries.

For me, the easiest way to get back into writing after, say, a three-week break, is to ease into it — take my normal output and cut it in half, then make that my temporary daily goal. This puts less pressure on me and tends to make it easier to ramp up to full speed again.

And, well, yeah, I agree with the comments that “it’s different for everyone.” New writers especially, in my experience, tend to cling to every idea and bit of wisdom out there, sometimes to their detriment if something just doesn’t work for their particular set of circumstances. Relax! What works, works. Period.

By: chidder

chidder — Wed, 17 May 2006 13:19:09 +0000

I’m a big advocate of writing every day because (a) my schedule allows it, (b) whether what I write each day is gold or merely ore to be mined and refined later, I feel good at the end of each day because I’ve produced something, and (c) it helps me avoid that awful feeling of “Oh god, when am I going to write again?” I know that I’m going to write again tomorrow.

That being said, just as “Nuke” LaLoosh in BULL DURHAM played baseball better if he wore women’s underwear beneath his uniform, ultimately it comes down to what works for you and your writing. If your writing habits contribute to your best possible writing, then your way is the right way — for you.

By: Diana

Diana — Wed, 17 May 2006 08:30:26 +0000

oh, puh-lease. the only aboslute thou-shalt-do command anyone should listen to is the kind that comes from me.

or, whatever.

man, iw ish i could make hte commitment to write every day. let’s take this week, in which i’ve have, indeed, written every day. but none of it has been for my fiction.

i am in zombie promotional apocalypse.

By: Justine

Justine — Wed, 17 May 2006 05:06:32 +0000

Little Willow: Literary vitamins? That’s hilarious.

Deborahb: Well, “should” is the world’s most annoying word. Along with “must” and “duty”.

By: deborahb

deborahb — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:52:23 +0000

re. the different methods for different writers — but of course! My only problem is with the word ‘should’.

Jeff: thanks for the mission statement. ;0) not!

By: Little Willow

Little Willow — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:40:14 +0000

Writing every day is good for you, literary vitamins.

By: Justine

Justine — Tue, 16 May 2006 23:59:36 +0000

I know! It’s scary, isn’t it? Though I remember the first time I came across real, geuine, actual, living-and-breathing, published writers—I hung on every single word they said as if it were holy writ. And frankly with certain writers (Samuel R. Delany, anyone?) I still do that.

To be clear, though, that’s definitely not what Deb was doing. She came across what you had to say and it jibed well with her working method so she jumped on it.

By: Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer — Tue, 16 May 2006 23:50:50 +0000

Even worse, I was just sharing what was working for me THIS YEAR and people started sending it around like it was some kind of mission statement for writers. LOL!

JeffV