Quick straw poll for all of you writers out there: do you write every day?
It’s the question that always comes around. Advice from professional writers that I encountered growing up was that it was essential to write every day, and that if you didn’t then you weren’t a ‘real’ writer.
I don’t subscribe to that school of thought at all, though it is undeniably important to build a regular habit if you’re going to a) get better and b) finish anything.
Its a bit like asking an astronaut if they spend every day in space. Of course they don't. They spend most of their time in preparation. The ratio of preparation to writing for writers is not quite so high as it is for astronauts, but the same principle applies. You need to have something to say before you put pen to paper and that requires reading, research, thinking, and just plain living and being alive and attentive in the world. Every day spent living is a day spent preparing to write.
Nah. I don't think it's necessary either. I'm more focused on writing intentionally. For example, if I have a story to tell or an essay to write, I will try to do that in a short span, as in a few days so I don't lose momentum and the voice doesn't change.
The habit of writing is whatever habit keeps you writing, which might be every day or a few times a week. Once you develop a passion for it, it's hard to resist the pull to get back at it. After that it's easier to make forward progress.
May 8, 2023·edited May 8, 2023Liked by Simon K Jones
Great Q!
I remember the anxiety-inducing days after a creative workshop or binge on YouTube videos from famous writers about the need to write daily. But I abandoned that practice years ago.
So, I do not write every day, but I do chew on my next word almost every day. I probably write about half of the month. The other half is thinking on the idea, shooting the video element, editing, and answering comments on my posts.
I write most days, and when I am not actually writing I am either (a) drafting stuff in my head or (b) doing something or reading something that will feed into my writing later on. The only reason is that Iove writing.
I write and publish every day. I don't think it's necessary for everyone. But I'd say five days a week is the minimum. If someone loves writing that shouldn't be a problem.
I interpret "write every day" as not just drafting prose but making your craft a habit. You can edit or read or journal, whatever you need to work on so long as you establish a routine. "This is my writing time" sort of thing. I think another way to interpret it is that some writers have a drive to write every day and if they don't they go nuts or something. I get that, but maybe not everyone has that drive. More than one way to skin a cat. And anyone who says "you aren't a real ____" is just being a gatekeeper, imo. What, are hobby writers pretend? They're ghosts?
Can you make wine every day if you don't plant the new season, take the time to select the finest grapes, and give them time to ferment? A winemaker is a winemaker not just because of the wine she bottles. She's a winemaker because she knows the seasons, she knows the sun and the soil, and she can tell when it's time to harvest.
I try to write every day, but I don't beat myself up if it doesn't happen. Most of my writing is long-form work that doesn't show up on a daily basis in my Substack, or else it's very short-form social media bits and pieces. I used to publish much more frequently on LiveJournal, but that was a different era and I was younger. Now that I'm in my sixties, I have to spend more time prioritizing.
Health plays a role as well. I haven't written anything other than very short social media comments over the past four days because I had a big reaction to a Covid vaccination. Either my thoughts were too jumbled for me to trust myself to writing I'm significantly invested in--i.e., my fiction--or I was making so many typos that I don't normally make that it would have interfered with my writing process.
One thing that I recommend to writers is to study the daily journals of working writers. For me, the two John Steinbeck journals written while drafting The Grapes of Wrath (Working Days) and East of Eden (Journal of A Novel) provided the deepest insights into the creative process. Sometimes Steinbeck had days where he didn't write. But, like Anthony Trollope (whose Autobiography I also recommend), he strove for a daily drafting word count when he did.
I do something write-ish every day. Plot a story that’s stuck in my head, work on a longer novel project, dash off a short story I’ve only just thought of. I usually try to put some words on paper, but even if it doesn’t work out, at least something behind-the-scenes got done.
Well, I write something everyday but it is not the same project. When I have shorter chunks of time I work on poetry (editing, drafting) or Substack (drafting). When I have longer stretches of 50min+ then I write creative non-fiction or short fiction or longer narrative poetry. But I have so much to write that I always have to do it or else I fall behind.
Writing about a thought transforms it in such a way that it is a delight. It is good for my mental health to play with ideas or images. I think of writing the way I think of any physical exercise. I always feel better after it is done (even if it wasn't my best workout).
May 8, 2023·edited May 8, 2023Liked by Simon K Jones
I work on my writing and stories almost everyday. Whether it’s drafting, revising, researching, outlining, thinking... I think of it all as “writing” but I’m always doing something. Often times I wake up excited to get to the days work, especially when it’s the writing part of the craft.
I also go through cycles where I get up and the first thing I do each morning (with coffee of course) is sit down and write something completely fresh and new. Great story ideas or scenes/characters for future stories come from these scribblings. I’m about to cycle back into that because I’ve been missing it.
I do write every day, but sometimes a very short amount if other factors are in the way (my kid! Other work! Etc I often welcome these distractions so I don’t feel stale and because I love doing other things as well) But I do big projects in chunks. When I’m writing a book, I write quite a bit every day (maybe one day off a week) or even go somewhere where I can be on my own and write at all times of day with breaks as well. I also take parts of the year only writing on paper. Cycles of discovery...
Thanks for this question! Like to read the other answers
I try to write every day. I don't take the extreme view that if you don't, you're not a real writer, but for me at least, I find that my writing habit completely falls off when I skip several days and that it's harder to get back into the story.
Of course I do .... between Andelman Unleashed [ https://daandelman.substack.com/ ] ... my CNN Opinion column [ https://www.cnn.com/profiles/david-andelman ] ... and my latest (6th!) book....how could I NOT write every day???? .... BUT only in the morning .... start 6 to 7 am, generally quit writing circa 1 pm.....then there's the rest of my life !!
I went several years where I wrote most days. I was in a writers group at the time. It wasn't just about the deadline, though. I loved getting feedback and encouragement on my pages, and that only happened if I wrote. I hate to think that my motivation is reliant upon external feedback, but it certainly helps.
Ever since I started my Substack, yes. Every day. Might just be a few words, might just be an edit and a reword, or it might be a huge slew of words.
Ideally first thing in the morning, but lately I've ever resorted to opening my laptop on the train home from work to snatch 20 minutes of writing time.
I like the notion that it's a muscle that you need to exercise 😄
I don't know a wide circle of published and award winning writers, but those I've known, poets and novelists, didn't write every day, or even every week. Some would knock out a complete manuscript during their holidays.
They would have been thinking, or even doing research if it was needed, but the writing itself was in sprints, or sporadic (especially for a collection of poetry).
Actors don't act every day, painters don't paint every day, CEOs don't CEO every day, Olympic swimmers don't swim every day. Only writing has this exhortation.
Hemingway wrote 500 words a day, Tom Wolfe 135 words, Stephen King between 1500 and 2000 words, but only on his working days, Monday to Friday.
I write every day. Lately, if I get down my 100 words daily story then I consider the day a win. But aside from that fiction, I also write reviews, thoughts, opinions, all sorts of non-fiction stuffs daily. I usually don't push those out the same day that I write them and will put them in a weekly rotation. But soon, very soon, I will push them out right after I've written them and "throw the dice" on whether or not that kind of daily (sporadic?) activity will force my hand to finally separate my fiction away from my main Susbtack...
I write everyday in some capacity whether a short jot of an idea or scene etc. or a whole 4000 word chapter/short story.
When I started writing I aimed for 1000 words a day, everyday. That worked to build the muscle and to learn how to do it, highly recommend that when starting out. 1000 words isn't as much as it initially feels. At the start it took me 3+ hours but now I could write that in 30 minutes if the juice is flowing freely, usually it's close to an hour.
I have scheduled dedicated writing time for myself because most of my writing otherwise happens spontaneously during my workday or when i'm watching a movie and an idea comes to mind or when I should be cleaning but just have to get this idea out of my head.
I block 4 hours of my day to write. Sometimes I write, sometimes I don’t. The times I don’t write I read or nap. It becomes my time to recharge. Many times it gives me ideas I can use in or start a story.
I aim to write every day. Even if it’s just 250 words. I have periods of productivity and momentum where I’ll write 20 days in a row. Followed by a week or two of scattered days. Not for a lack of will, rather life getting in the way. I find getting that momentum is crucial. Once you get it, holding on, is the hardest part.
I write every day but not always for my book or Substack, but for work. Although work writing compliments my other stuff, and vice versa, I'd like to work on things other than work some more. An issue I am having is when I write for work so much that my other writing flow and muse is difficult to achieve because I am so into... work stuff. In this sense I think that writing every day is good to build a habit, but if it is not entirely in line with what it is I really want to finish (book, and plenty of Substack newsletters) I only develop the writing muscle for work stuff. I am learning how to use that to my advantage, but it is difficult.
It depends on what you mean by "write." Do you mean new words? Do mean new words that are specifically to be shared with others on one of my many writing projects? I write many days. Sometimes it's only journaling. I work actively on writing in one way or another (drafting, editing, researching) most days. I work on writing via experiencing, mulling, watching, tasting, listening - yes. Every day.
Yes, every day except the sabbath. Unfortunately I read all the advice that says to do it every day, including from GRRM, so that is what I do. Even if it's only 200 words. For a while my goal was to write for only half an hour a day at a minimum, then it became just to write something at all. But having that extremely low bar actually is great for forward momentum, and I have written loads using it, now almost three quarter of a million words on different projects.
The only exception I have to writing every day is that sometimes I am not writing, but editing. It took me a long time to get into the mindset that editing is also progress because I had trained my brain to get dopamine hits from writing. The trick was to measure time invested, rather than words written. In fact, I came across a podcast and website recently that does just this, 'Write a bestseller in a year', where with their daily writing challenge they say you can bank either 200 words minimum a day or 20 minutes' editing a day. This has helped me edit loads more as well. The trick is a very small minimum goal, which paradoxically leads to surplus output, rather than a crushingly large goal, which leads to failure and despair.
I don't write every day, but I like to think that my "work" time is split between research and writing.
Sometimes I'm brainstorming another short story, sometimes I'm writing essays, sometimes I'm trying to think of ways to attract more subscribers so that my written words can help feed my family.
Sometimes, I'm writing in my journals.
But there have been days when none of that happens at all.
There are 3-4 months out of the year where I write an average of 5 days a week.
There ~1-2 months where I write nothing, and the rest of the time I write in some form or other 1-2 days a week.
Once in a while I’ll have a manic few weeks in a row where I write daily, but I’ve found that unsustainable.
As an aside in case you’re mining data, I do have a full time role professional career. Until recently, writing has been that thing I do because it makes life meaningful, but it’s not as highly prioritized.
I’m hoping to change that with this new newsletter thang and attendant community.
I try to write everyday. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I get sucked into some deep vortex on the web and lose a couple of hours. But if I can get a page in, or a couple hundred words, I'm good with that. I recently retired, and thought: "Now I'll have all the time I need to write." I think I wrote more when I was working than I do now. I used to get up two-three hours before work. But I think that's because when the kids were younger I didn't spend a lot of time on my writing. I don't think I wrote a lot until after they grew up. Now that they've grown up and moved out, I don't have an excuse, do I? If I'm not writing, I'm reading, or thinking about it. I'm always rewriting. The only time I don't seem to get a lot of writing done is when the wife is around. Maybe she thinks I should be spending my time with her on her days off? Maybe I should?
Yes, I write every day. But I don't concentrate on the same thing, i.e., writing a response to this post is writing. I have projects I dedicate time to but not on the same day. Or give the same amount of time to.
I don't write every day, but I am always thinking about the stories in my head. Sometimes the writing happens in your head. I find it a bit frustrating how eager everyone is to give writers prescriptive advice. Grand sweeping statements about the nature of writing and writers just turn me off.
I write something every day, whether it’s “my” writing or work for a client. I can’t imagine publishing every day, since I feel the need to do at least a little quality control. Not everything that comes out of this teeming brain is worthy of being read.
I write five days a week, Monday through Friday, pending anything that may come up, and give myself the weekends. It allows me to write regularly and helps prevent burnout.
I try to write every day and end up writing every other day. I like the stretch habit. And it doesn’t feel like work. It’s just something I love doing each day, like making chai. Automatic!
Sort of? I try to write by hand (if using a stylus counts) for fiction for at least 30 minutes a day and then I end up writing also for substack. Sometimes 20 minutes, sometimes 2 hours. If I'm working on a longer piece of fiction I tend to write a lot daily for a few months straight then stop.
Great question! I try to but I also take 'write' to mean 'do something active that's directly related to my writing' - which excludes reading for pleasure but includes brainstorming, plotting, daydreaming about stories & characters, research (ie. reading & taking notes), revision & editing. It also excludes newsletter & marketing stuff because to me, that's publishing, not writing.
More context: I've been doing this writing thing pretty much non-stop since I was a teenager. I'm happiest when I get into a (semi)daily rhythm. It doesn't have to be the same place or same time every day but it has to be something. I get withdrawal symptoms when I don't write for a week or so which always pulls me back in.
But I also have friends who put out entire novels in short, super intense bursts then don't write anything for months on end. I think it comes down to knowing what works best for you & sticking to it no matter what.
Writing every day accelerates the rate of which I learn the craft. Publishing every day is so that I can receive feedback on my work. It’s not all great, but it helps me learn.
I believe that any craft is about iteration. The more I write the more I iterate and the more I improve. My first several years as I writer, I was sparse, inconsistent.
I’ve learned more over the last year writing every day than I did in the previous five. Take that as you will.
It’s also important to remember that we all have different goals for our writing. Some of us want to be reporters, others poets. Some of us want to make our life’s work writing while others use it as an escape.
Whatever your reason for writing, whatever your goal for writing... it’s valid. Writing is a medium we use to express ourselves and we can choose to do so however we want.
So if someone writes every day and it works for them great. If someone writes once a month in a five hour binge... great. Do whatever works best for you
I guess it depends on what counts as writing. I write almost every day, but sometimes it's simply brainstorming or writing down ideas because I need to get it out so I don't forget. Like many here, I have a day job, so I can't just sit down and write all of the time. I have to work it in whenever I can. And I do work it in whenever I can.
Its a bit like asking an astronaut if they spend every day in space. Of course they don't. They spend most of their time in preparation. The ratio of preparation to writing for writers is not quite so high as it is for astronauts, but the same principle applies. You need to have something to say before you put pen to paper and that requires reading, research, thinking, and just plain living and being alive and attentive in the world. Every day spent living is a day spent preparing to write.
Nah. I don't think it's necessary either. I'm more focused on writing intentionally. For example, if I have a story to tell or an essay to write, I will try to do that in a short span, as in a few days so I don't lose momentum and the voice doesn't change.
The habit of writing is whatever habit keeps you writing, which might be every day or a few times a week. Once you develop a passion for it, it's hard to resist the pull to get back at it. After that it's easier to make forward progress.
Great Q!
I remember the anxiety-inducing days after a creative workshop or binge on YouTube videos from famous writers about the need to write daily. But I abandoned that practice years ago.
So, I do not write every day, but I do chew on my next word almost every day. I probably write about half of the month. The other half is thinking on the idea, shooting the video element, editing, and answering comments on my posts.
I used to write 5-6 days a week. Then I got pregnant and had a baby 😅
I agree, though. A habit is necessary but everyday is not at all!
I write most days, and when I am not actually writing I am either (a) drafting stuff in my head or (b) doing something or reading something that will feed into my writing later on. The only reason is that Iove writing.
I write and publish every day. I don't think it's necessary for everyone. But I'd say five days a week is the minimum. If someone loves writing that shouldn't be a problem.
I don’t write every day, and that’s ok
I interpret "write every day" as not just drafting prose but making your craft a habit. You can edit or read or journal, whatever you need to work on so long as you establish a routine. "This is my writing time" sort of thing. I think another way to interpret it is that some writers have a drive to write every day and if they don't they go nuts or something. I get that, but maybe not everyone has that drive. More than one way to skin a cat. And anyone who says "you aren't a real ____" is just being a gatekeeper, imo. What, are hobby writers pretend? They're ghosts?
Can you make wine every day if you don't plant the new season, take the time to select the finest grapes, and give them time to ferment? A winemaker is a winemaker not just because of the wine she bottles. She's a winemaker because she knows the seasons, she knows the sun and the soil, and she can tell when it's time to harvest.
I try to write every day, but I don't beat myself up if it doesn't happen. Most of my writing is long-form work that doesn't show up on a daily basis in my Substack, or else it's very short-form social media bits and pieces. I used to publish much more frequently on LiveJournal, but that was a different era and I was younger. Now that I'm in my sixties, I have to spend more time prioritizing.
Health plays a role as well. I haven't written anything other than very short social media comments over the past four days because I had a big reaction to a Covid vaccination. Either my thoughts were too jumbled for me to trust myself to writing I'm significantly invested in--i.e., my fiction--or I was making so many typos that I don't normally make that it would have interfered with my writing process.
One thing that I recommend to writers is to study the daily journals of working writers. For me, the two John Steinbeck journals written while drafting The Grapes of Wrath (Working Days) and East of Eden (Journal of A Novel) provided the deepest insights into the creative process. Sometimes Steinbeck had days where he didn't write. But, like Anthony Trollope (whose Autobiography I also recommend), he strove for a daily drafting word count when he did.
I do something write-ish every day. Plot a story that’s stuck in my head, work on a longer novel project, dash off a short story I’ve only just thought of. I usually try to put some words on paper, but even if it doesn’t work out, at least something behind-the-scenes got done.
Well, I write something everyday but it is not the same project. When I have shorter chunks of time I work on poetry (editing, drafting) or Substack (drafting). When I have longer stretches of 50min+ then I write creative non-fiction or short fiction or longer narrative poetry. But I have so much to write that I always have to do it or else I fall behind.
Writing about a thought transforms it in such a way that it is a delight. It is good for my mental health to play with ideas or images. I think of writing the way I think of any physical exercise. I always feel better after it is done (even if it wasn't my best workout).
I work on my writing and stories almost everyday. Whether it’s drafting, revising, researching, outlining, thinking... I think of it all as “writing” but I’m always doing something. Often times I wake up excited to get to the days work, especially when it’s the writing part of the craft.
I also go through cycles where I get up and the first thing I do each morning (with coffee of course) is sit down and write something completely fresh and new. Great story ideas or scenes/characters for future stories come from these scribblings. I’m about to cycle back into that because I’ve been missing it.
I do write every day, but sometimes a very short amount if other factors are in the way (my kid! Other work! Etc I often welcome these distractions so I don’t feel stale and because I love doing other things as well) But I do big projects in chunks. When I’m writing a book, I write quite a bit every day (maybe one day off a week) or even go somewhere where I can be on my own and write at all times of day with breaks as well. I also take parts of the year only writing on paper. Cycles of discovery...
Thanks for this question! Like to read the other answers
I try to write every day. I don't take the extreme view that if you don't, you're not a real writer, but for me at least, I find that my writing habit completely falls off when I skip several days and that it's harder to get back into the story.
Of course I do .... between Andelman Unleashed [ https://daandelman.substack.com/ ] ... my CNN Opinion column [ https://www.cnn.com/profiles/david-andelman ] ... and my latest (6th!) book....how could I NOT write every day???? .... BUT only in the morning .... start 6 to 7 am, generally quit writing circa 1 pm.....then there's the rest of my life !!
;-))
Yes, actually. Even if it’s just a sentence
I went several years where I wrote most days. I was in a writers group at the time. It wasn't just about the deadline, though. I loved getting feedback and encouragement on my pages, and that only happened if I wrote. I hate to think that my motivation is reliant upon external feedback, but it certainly helps.
Ever since I started my Substack, yes. Every day. Might just be a few words, might just be an edit and a reword, or it might be a huge slew of words.
Ideally first thing in the morning, but lately I've ever resorted to opening my laptop on the train home from work to snatch 20 minutes of writing time.
I like the notion that it's a muscle that you need to exercise 😄
I don't know a wide circle of published and award winning writers, but those I've known, poets and novelists, didn't write every day, or even every week. Some would knock out a complete manuscript during their holidays.
They would have been thinking, or even doing research if it was needed, but the writing itself was in sprints, or sporadic (especially for a collection of poetry).
Actors don't act every day, painters don't paint every day, CEOs don't CEO every day, Olympic swimmers don't swim every day. Only writing has this exhortation.
Hemingway wrote 500 words a day, Tom Wolfe 135 words, Stephen King between 1500 and 2000 words, but only on his working days, Monday to Friday.
I write every day. Lately, if I get down my 100 words daily story then I consider the day a win. But aside from that fiction, I also write reviews, thoughts, opinions, all sorts of non-fiction stuffs daily. I usually don't push those out the same day that I write them and will put them in a weekly rotation. But soon, very soon, I will push them out right after I've written them and "throw the dice" on whether or not that kind of daily (sporadic?) activity will force my hand to finally separate my fiction away from my main Susbtack...
I try to write every day. I'm such a slow writer than I need all the extra time I can get.
I write everyday in some capacity whether a short jot of an idea or scene etc. or a whole 4000 word chapter/short story.
When I started writing I aimed for 1000 words a day, everyday. That worked to build the muscle and to learn how to do it, highly recommend that when starting out. 1000 words isn't as much as it initially feels. At the start it took me 3+ hours but now I could write that in 30 minutes if the juice is flowing freely, usually it's close to an hour.
I move between writing and painting, don't know if I am a writer or a painter both or neither, I guess I just set out to be creative.
Does plotting and structural labour count?
I write and/or revise every day, but rarely for more than 4 hours. I'm not the type who can write for 8 hours straight.
I have scheduled dedicated writing time for myself because most of my writing otherwise happens spontaneously during my workday or when i'm watching a movie and an idea comes to mind or when I should be cleaning but just have to get this idea out of my head.
I block 4 hours of my day to write. Sometimes I write, sometimes I don’t. The times I don’t write I read or nap. It becomes my time to recharge. Many times it gives me ideas I can use in or start a story.
I aim to write every day. Even if it’s just 250 words. I have periods of productivity and momentum where I’ll write 20 days in a row. Followed by a week or two of scattered days. Not for a lack of will, rather life getting in the way. I find getting that momentum is crucial. Once you get it, holding on, is the hardest part.
No, but I definitely worry about writing everyday. Does that count?
I write every day but not always for my book or Substack, but for work. Although work writing compliments my other stuff, and vice versa, I'd like to work on things other than work some more. An issue I am having is when I write for work so much that my other writing flow and muse is difficult to achieve because I am so into... work stuff. In this sense I think that writing every day is good to build a habit, but if it is not entirely in line with what it is I really want to finish (book, and plenty of Substack newsletters) I only develop the writing muscle for work stuff. I am learning how to use that to my advantage, but it is difficult.
It depends on what you mean by "write." Do you mean new words? Do mean new words that are specifically to be shared with others on one of my many writing projects? I write many days. Sometimes it's only journaling. I work actively on writing in one way or another (drafting, editing, researching) most days. I work on writing via experiencing, mulling, watching, tasting, listening - yes. Every day.
Yes, every day except the sabbath. Unfortunately I read all the advice that says to do it every day, including from GRRM, so that is what I do. Even if it's only 200 words. For a while my goal was to write for only half an hour a day at a minimum, then it became just to write something at all. But having that extremely low bar actually is great for forward momentum, and I have written loads using it, now almost three quarter of a million words on different projects.
The only exception I have to writing every day is that sometimes I am not writing, but editing. It took me a long time to get into the mindset that editing is also progress because I had trained my brain to get dopamine hits from writing. The trick was to measure time invested, rather than words written. In fact, I came across a podcast and website recently that does just this, 'Write a bestseller in a year', where with their daily writing challenge they say you can bank either 200 words minimum a day or 20 minutes' editing a day. This has helped me edit loads more as well. The trick is a very small minimum goal, which paradoxically leads to surplus output, rather than a crushingly large goal, which leads to failure and despair.
I don't write every day, but I like to think that my "work" time is split between research and writing.
Sometimes I'm brainstorming another short story, sometimes I'm writing essays, sometimes I'm trying to think of ways to attract more subscribers so that my written words can help feed my family.
Sometimes, I'm writing in my journals.
But there have been days when none of that happens at all.
I go in seasons.
There are 3-4 months out of the year where I write an average of 5 days a week.
There ~1-2 months where I write nothing, and the rest of the time I write in some form or other 1-2 days a week.
Once in a while I’ll have a manic few weeks in a row where I write daily, but I’ve found that unsustainable.
As an aside in case you’re mining data, I do have a full time role professional career. Until recently, writing has been that thing I do because it makes life meaningful, but it’s not as highly prioritized.
I’m hoping to change that with this new newsletter thang and attendant community.
To everything there is a season, eh?
Yes.
I try to write everyday. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I get sucked into some deep vortex on the web and lose a couple of hours. But if I can get a page in, or a couple hundred words, I'm good with that. I recently retired, and thought: "Now I'll have all the time I need to write." I think I wrote more when I was working than I do now. I used to get up two-three hours before work. But I think that's because when the kids were younger I didn't spend a lot of time on my writing. I don't think I wrote a lot until after they grew up. Now that they've grown up and moved out, I don't have an excuse, do I? If I'm not writing, I'm reading, or thinking about it. I'm always rewriting. The only time I don't seem to get a lot of writing done is when the wife is around. Maybe she thinks I should be spending my time with her on her days off? Maybe I should?
Yes, I write every day. But I don't concentrate on the same thing, i.e., writing a response to this post is writing. I have projects I dedicate time to but not on the same day. Or give the same amount of time to.
I don't write every day, but I am always thinking about the stories in my head. Sometimes the writing happens in your head. I find it a bit frustrating how eager everyone is to give writers prescriptive advice. Grand sweeping statements about the nature of writing and writers just turn me off.
I don't write every day, though I do try when into a novel (and I have to have a novel).
I write something every day, whether it’s “my” writing or work for a client. I can’t imagine publishing every day, since I feel the need to do at least a little quality control. Not everything that comes out of this teeming brain is worthy of being read.
If I’m not writing every day then I’m thinking about my next essay or changes I can make in my novel.
I write five days a week, Monday through Friday, pending anything that may come up, and give myself the weekends. It allows me to write regularly and helps prevent burnout.
I try to write every day and end up writing every other day. I like the stretch habit. And it doesn’t feel like work. It’s just something I love doing each day, like making chai. Automatic!
Sort of? I try to write by hand (if using a stylus counts) for fiction for at least 30 minutes a day and then I end up writing also for substack. Sometimes 20 minutes, sometimes 2 hours. If I'm working on a longer piece of fiction I tend to write a lot daily for a few months straight then stop.
I'm always planning and outlining though! :)
Most every day. But I go on mini-sabbaticals and take things in a bit.
I try to work on my newsletter most days of the week. It’s not always writing though. Sometimes it’s editing, research, or working on music.
Great question! I try to but I also take 'write' to mean 'do something active that's directly related to my writing' - which excludes reading for pleasure but includes brainstorming, plotting, daydreaming about stories & characters, research (ie. reading & taking notes), revision & editing. It also excludes newsletter & marketing stuff because to me, that's publishing, not writing.
More context: I've been doing this writing thing pretty much non-stop since I was a teenager. I'm happiest when I get into a (semi)daily rhythm. It doesn't have to be the same place or same time every day but it has to be something. I get withdrawal symptoms when I don't write for a week or so which always pulls me back in.
But I also have friends who put out entire novels in short, super intense bursts then don't write anything for months on end. I think it comes down to knowing what works best for you & sticking to it no matter what.
I always write and try to publish every day.
Writing every day accelerates the rate of which I learn the craft. Publishing every day is so that I can receive feedback on my work. It’s not all great, but it helps me learn.
I believe that any craft is about iteration. The more I write the more I iterate and the more I improve. My first several years as I writer, I was sparse, inconsistent.
I’ve learned more over the last year writing every day than I did in the previous five. Take that as you will.
It’s also important to remember that we all have different goals for our writing. Some of us want to be reporters, others poets. Some of us want to make our life’s work writing while others use it as an escape.
Whatever your reason for writing, whatever your goal for writing... it’s valid. Writing is a medium we use to express ourselves and we can choose to do so however we want.
So if someone writes every day and it works for them great. If someone writes once a month in a five hour binge... great. Do whatever works best for you
I guess it depends on what counts as writing. I write almost every day, but sometimes it's simply brainstorming or writing down ideas because I need to get it out so I don't forget. Like many here, I have a day job, so I can't just sit down and write all of the time. I have to work it in whenever I can. And I do work it in whenever I can.