Could writing all the time be counterproductive?

Writers are often told to write every day, and there can be plenty of benefits from following that advice. However, could too much writing actually end up being counterproductive?

I think it could. After all, if all you’re doing is writing all the time, you won’t be doing any of that other stuff that is so crucial to creating a good, successful, high quality story. You know, like editing. And proofreading.

It’s not just a case of the other writing-associated activities missing out, though. If you’re writing all the time, you won’t be leaving any time to give yourself space, to go out and experience new things – things that could one day form the basis of a story.

We all have to get our writing ideas from somewhere, and most of us get them from the real world. We experience things and then they give us ideas that we want to write about. We read things in newspapers that inspire us. We take up hobbies and have social lives that give us opportunities to learn more about people and seek out interesting characters.

All of this helps our writing, and the irony is that writing less often could actually help us more in the long run.

What do you think?