Right to Write Everyday?

You’ve probably heard that if you’re going to be a writer, you should write everyday. Hell, I’ve probably told you that in the past but let’s face it, writing is normally a second “job” for most of us and when life gets busy and complex, it’s not always possible to write on a daily basis. I’ve tried to do it and much of the time I succeed, but on those rough days…I’ve been known to stretch it and count emails, Facebook statuses and texts. Hey, it’s writing! It’s just not writing for one of my novels.

Do I think it’s helpful if you can write everyday? Most definitely. I think if you only write when the feeling moves you, you’ll end up finding that you don’t write very much at all. Sometimes we need to push ourselves otherwise we’ll just be stuck and fall into writer’s block or get discouraged and never finish the work.

Here’s the thing, I think it’s important to carve out time to write. If you’re serious about it then yes, you need to put in the effort, try to write as much as you can *BUT* don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get to it every single day. Things come up, you’re down, you’re mentally and physically drained, whatever. It’s going to happen. It’s not the end of the world. Pick it up tomorrow.

I also think it’s important to remember that as writers, we do other things besides write out stories.  Don’t forget to count time spent plotting, researching, outlining, writing character profiles, editing, revisions, re-writing, reading, etc. It all counts. Without those things, you don’t have a great completed product. They’re all a part of the process and count towards that write everyday quota. To me, anyhow.

Do you write everyday? Do you think it’s essential to your craft?