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Write Everyday?
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Amy Eye
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Aug 26, 2011 06:14AM
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I find that when I write everyday (even if it is just a version of "morning pages" or isn't focused on my current projects), it keeps the flow going and my writing is better overall. I find that when I don't write daily, the writing starts getting more and more infrequent--and I get grumpy--and the quality and creativity start to suffer.I have also been focused on this lovely reality over the last year that if you do a little of something reguarly, you end up finishing projects that could easily be overwhelming if you try to finish in big hunks.
I work full time and desperately want to improve my writing skills, particuarly in fiction. The only way to make progress for me is to pick away at it, one day at a time.
Wyethia
Yes! Every day. It is rare that I take a day off and write nothing at all. Even then, I am thinking about the current project.Like anything else, writing takes practice. Go away from it and you get rusty.
When I am stuck, I edit. When I find my writing getting "flat", I go do a mini project like writing an interview response.
One thing I am going to try is writing about a character in a totally different situation from the book(s). This is just for me and used to get into the character's head.
So do I write every day? Almost 100%. If I don't rite that day, I edit (does that count as writing?).
Splitter
This is something I have gotten away from, the summer seems to have made that hard. But now that school is back in I am going to get my butt in the chair and get to it!!! Its a must
Mod
just active. The voices in my head never really shut up and thats how i write. I do tend to worry when i haven't written for a while if it will go away but so far it hasn't....yet.
I think if you don't write every day, after a few days you start to put it off because you've missed so much. I don't write everyday but I do some bit of editing or marketing or thinking about stuff most days. The only time I don't is when I'm shattered and hjust fall straight asleep on the train both ways of my commute - otherwise that can be quite useful storying time in one way or another.But sometimes I burn out and stop for a few weeks and just read everything instead. Then I get back to it refreshed and switch from input to output again.
Basically, you have to have time / energy / reserves / headspace to write and if you've run out of them, I find it better to have a day off rather than beat yourself up for not doing anything useful. If none of these are an issue you probably can write every day. If they are, on a regular basis, better to just do what you can sustainably do round the normal routine.
JAC
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Once in a great while I take a day off, especially after I've finished a project. I need to recoup, but a lot of the time I find myself working on the next story, at least in my head.
If you want to make a career out of writing then yes you should write everyday. I have nothing going for me other than writing and when I write everything its fresh in my mind, if I take a few days off, I have forgotten everything I wrote even the plot ha and have to reread it all to refresh my memory to remember where it was I left off and where I was going with the story.
Nope. Impossible when working full time with kids and groceries and cleaning and chauffering and vet appts and doctor appts and dentist appts and ortho appts and eye dr appts...you get the picture. And then you have networking and marketing, which is vastly time consuming. Does it take longer to finish a project? Yup. Does it stifle my creative juices? Nope. Because my mind never stops working...I keep a notebook to jot down notes and thoughts as I'm going through the daily grind.
I generally do something related to writing every day, whether it be editing, writing, brainstorming for ideas, etc. It has become so naturalized I don't think about it anymore though. And a lot of my daily writing is simply e-mails, blog posts, and responses to student papers.When I hear people say good writer's have to write every day I often get flustered because I do write every day, but I don't write in the same voice I use in my fiction. I wonder, when people say that one must write every day, do they mean that you must write fiction every day, or just write in general? The latter of these options opens up a sizable can of worms. In academia some believe writing e-mails has the potential to damage our writing skills because there are so many unconventional spellings and a lack of formal grammar usage for some. Of course we're referring to students. Most writers use appropriate grammar and/or spelling. This issue likely takes on more relevance for younger writers who are just starting to try to break into the market.
There is a whole argument going on among writers about blogging. Some say that it helps their writing, others say it takes too much time. The discussion I am talking about is among well known authors. My opinion is that it all depends on the person. If blogging is taking too much of your time, then it's bad. Then, for people like me, putting words down helps me work through thIngs so blogging/Internet posting helps.
I could also see where such postings could drain noy only time but energy and creative resources. Again, I think that goes back to the individual.
I know I have become much more conscious of my "voice"'since I started really writing seriously. My emails ormpostings can be more casual, but I am now aware that I am making them so.
Again, it's just me, but I think writing every day can include almost anything if the writer is conscious of their work. A blog post takes creativity. Even this little post made me think about how to express my thoughts...so I'm done for the day lol.
Splitter
I wish I write everyday. I'm still in school, so I'm not a professional writer or someone who is paid to write solid material at the moment, but I know I want to. I just need to become more disciplined in that area.
I agree Dale! I deal with those everyday issues to and i too carry a notebook. In fact, i scribbled in it last night during the hurricane in the fading light by a window... writing in the rain has always been really good for me. :)But my head never stops working either. i get a lot of ideas in the car when i am driving around. Most of those ideas stay in my head and demand to get out whenever i sit down with a pen or my laptop.
I agree with you as well Splitter, sometimes blogging is good or bad.
I really think it depends on the person and the way their mind processes everything. Its all about the "creative process" I think. we writers are an interesting bunch and finding what works for you might not be the best thing for someone else. I think the main thing is not losing sight of your passion. Sometimes its easy not to do something for a few days then you forget just how much you need or really want to do it.
Carrying a notebook is vital! You have ideas all the time but if you're like me you have to write them down on the spot or they will get pushed out of your brain by appointments or pin numbers or what you're having for tea etc....!JAC
"...or what you're having for tea..." SO British! lolMy phone has a voice note feature so I use that too. I have also been known to call and leave myself a voicemail for a really tasty morsel of inspiration.
Splitter
Can't stand the sound of my own voice (well, when recorded - otherwise, people would disagree!). I used to do a radio show and it's SUCH a cringe to listen to the tapes!!I'm text-based, me, so SMS or email is a must!
JAC
Oh, I know people who carry a tape recorder. I tried that, and I felt so damn silly I couldn't do it...plus I'm like JA...I hate the sound of my voice. I do blog, but not daily, and Splitter's right, that does take some creativity too.Which brings me to 2 points I missed earlier in my rambling...Reading, reading reading...and writing reviews.
A never ending merry-go-round of things I must do. And most that I haven't done today! LOL
Mod
SLACKER!Sorry, I just needed to say that to someone since I have not written a real word all day lol.
Splitter
Dale wrote: "Nope. Impossible when working full time with kids and groceries and cleaning and chauffering and vet appts and doctor appts and dentist appts and ortho appts and eye dr appts...you get the picture...."Yup thats what i did on a recent campng trip, I was 5 days away from my computer. So I wrote it in my Ipods note app, much easier. i can email myself the note so all I had to do was cope and paste :)
Mod
Sorry, I just needed to say that to someone since I have not written a real word all day lol.
Splitter"
Sigh...never good when you get called out by a fellow slacker! HAHA!
I always have a notebook with me at work, and every little break I get and during lunch, I write. That's how I wrote the last five books I finished and started several others. I finished The Four-Year-Old Guardian in two months!Now, finding the time to type it up at home and edit, that's something else entirely....
Mod
I WISH I could write (like really write) every day. I do write, blog, etc. something every day. I just don't make the time every day to work on a story or a book...... I wish there was some way to just take what's in my head and automatically transfer it onto paper/computer...LOL... I fail at carrying a notebook around too! I just woke from a dream around 5AM this morning wishing I had one handy (I could have gotten one pretty easily, but at 5AM, I really just wanted to go back to sleep!!!) Now, I don't remember what my dream was about :-(.
I need a job that pays REALLY well, but I don't really have to do anything, so I can just sit around and read and write all day without being interrupted by kids or other obligations...LOL... You know you're a stay-at-home-mom when...
I am not a professional writer, by trade I am an exterminator of all things, so I don't know if this counts. When I started thinking about writing a book I set goals for myself. The best one was to write 5000 words a week and so far over the last 3 months I have not missed that. I live alone so after working a full day, coming home, cooking, cleaning, taking care of my cat I sit down and try to write 1000 words. Some days more, some days a little less. I try and get it all done Monday - Friday and take the weekends off to give me some space and free time.
For me, goals are more important than writing everyday. It lets me feel and know I accomplished something and not feel guilty over taking a day off from thinking about writing.
For me, goals are more important than writing everyday. It lets me feel and know I accomplished something and not feel guilty over taking a day off from thinking about writing.
Mod
here is a great quote about it. This tip really is so true.Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.
Jane Yolen
Mod
I love this topic! I was wondering where authors find the time to write, when there's housework, children/furchildren, dinner, neighbors, (we're a tight-knit bunch here on my street) family, etc. There's so many things that inspire me to want to write but sometimes I wonder where to find the time. Now, I absolutely MAKE time to read, that's why I am going to do reviews and editing. Huh. I suppose I answered my own question!
I have several short stories I've started, different titles that, for me, can start the story off and even one I did in high school that I can expand upon. (it's reeeeally different!) And yes, I have notebooks EVERYWHERE. Every year when back-to-school rolls around, I take advantage of the notebook sales; we had a store here offer 10 for $1.50 and I gleefully got them! My husband just rolled his eyes, LOL!
Mod
I agree, writing everyday is the best way to stop yourself from getting rusty.I feel a bit bad, as I've not written much in the 5 (!) months since I published Liberator's Ruin.
But there's a very good reason: I'm writing out the plan for my next book, Serial Psyence. I find I write more effectively if I have a plan to work from. It just takes so long to do!
Oh well, half way through now, so I should be getting on with the actual writing in a month. Can't wait! Been wanting to write this story for 3 years ...
Sara it can be really difficult to find time to write, but as you say, when the urge builds up you MAKE time because if you don't you might explode!Alas with my commute and day-job the choice is simple; writing or sleep?
Sleep is for wusses anyhow....yawn...
...zzzZZZzzz...
JAC
Amy wrote: "I wonder how many authors do other writing besides their own work - like blogs, diaries, journals, etc...."I blog daily (although I usually schedule in advance), I do graphic novels, and I do keep a journal (offline, handwritten). So I might not write fiction every day (besides by now my routine is well set), but I guess I do write every day... maybe replies to forum posts! ;-)
I also think it's important to write every day. That's why I love having a blog; it forces me to write even when I wouldn't do it otherwise. ;)
I love my notebooks, too, and I'm always looking for special ones with covers I love. BJ Robinson
Making time to read is an important step for improving your own writing :), Amy. Blessings, BJ Robinson
I do have a blog and really should use it. I still prefer to hand-write a lot of things. However, my hand starts cramping pretty quickly, thanks to an old injury from when I was four. Gotta use those notebooks though! ;)
I write each day in some form, but not necessarily working on my WIP. It may be a blog, notes, FB, and I do keep a notebook handy and have written during lunch, but I usually don't have time at work to even write during lunch. I usually eat and work on work-related issues. It's nice when you can take a breather and write at lunch. I do try to write some each day, but there are days it just doesn't happen when I'm working. If I'm not working, it's pretty much a given. BJ Robinson
BJ Robinson wrote: "I love my notebooks, too, and I'm always looking for special ones with covers I love. BJ Robinson"I got a new one from Walmart recently that has this really pretty black and white cover with trees on it... Trees are kinda my thing...LOL... So, I HAD to get it. It is now my official "writing" notebook. :-)
Mod
I think you are absolutely correct, reading does improve our writing skills. I think many authors need to remember that even if they can't read other stories while in the middle of writing theirs, making time to read in that in between time is vital.
Plus, how can one live without reading?? I couldn't do it!
Do you read when you are writing? (You plural). If so, do you read in the same genre you are writing at the moment? I am terrified of either losing my own voice or lifting something unintentionally, so I tend to not read when I write. The book I am working on is my first, so I can't say if this is an anxiety that new writers feel or perhaps just me. I am almost complete (getting the story down, not the rewrites or editing) and I can't wait to start reading again. I miss it. It is like going on vacation away from your best friend. You know you will be back but something just seems to be missing during that time.
I would have to say that when I used to write, I would not read anything else.Like Frankinnj said.
You don't want to lose your focus.
So when that day for me to write comes again, everything else will be shut down.
EVERYTHING!
I read while I write...I just can't NOT read. But, I think if I were going to really bang out some serious writing, I would try to devote ALL my free time to that instead of reading. Maybe just keep a good book by the toilet just in case...haha
In the good ole days when I had lots of time I would have input / output splurges so it would be either reading or writing very intensely for about 2 months - then it would flip back the other way. Now my job is quite demanding and I'm trying to do a whole load more stuff at once, so I don't really have time to read and only manage to get tiny chunks of free time in which to write, so I write most of the time, and then when I've lost the mojo a bit and I'm too tired for it all to work, I read because it keeps the creativeness going but is much more restful. Recharges the batteries, you might say.
For me, I don't tend to worry too much about the books leaching into the writing as I'm very comfortable in my world and have been for about ten years now, so anything that didn't fit would be far too obvious to make it past the edit, and even if I didn't notice, my eagle-eyed editors would.
Tell you what though, my idea of heaven was the month's unemployment between finishing my Masters and starting my job, where all I did every day was get up, write, and eat when I remembered to. If I could afford to go half-time now, you KNOW I'd be there like a shot!
Happy days!
JAC
A writer reads. Reading and writing are flip sides of the same coin. I devour books during the summer, even when I'm writing my own. I work on my writing in the mornings,since I'm a morning person. Then, I relax and read others' writing in the evenings. They say you should read authors in the genre you write, and I do, but I also read various other titles that interest me. I write romantic suspense. BJ Robinson
J.A. wrote: "In the good ole days when I had lots of time I would have input / output splurges so it would be either reading or writing very intensely for about 2 months - then it would flip back the other way...."I agree reading recharges the batteries and rekindles the flame :) BJ Robinson
I can't red when I write. I find it hard to get into someone else's story while mine is tumbling around in my brain.Franklin: The ONLY reason I don't write fantasy is because every time I came up with a story idea and started working on it, I realized that it was too similar to another author's work. It's TOUGH to be original in fantasy even with unlimited worlds to work in (at least for me).
After I finished my first book, someone read it and said my style was like Jim Butcher's. I was pissed! They didn't mean it that way, but it felt like I was being accused of copying someone's style who I had NEVER read.
I immediately went out and bought his Dresden series to check for myself lol. I guess I saw similarities, but I saw a lot of differences too.
Now, I am VERY aware of not copying another writer's ideas. It's to the point that I won't use an idea if I see it elsewhere.
For example, my third book was going to be set in Vegas, but I have the feeling that another author I read is writing a book that takes place there. I know nothing else about that other author's work except, maybe, the location. So, I have changed my location for that book (planning right now) to either Miami or LA.
Splitter
J.A. wrote: "In the good ole days when I had lots of time I would have input / output splurges so it would be either reading or writing very intensely for about 2 months - then it would flip back the other way...."Ahhh, the happy days of unemployment lmao
