It's Ok Not To Write Every Day
Here's The Proof
As a creative, looking for ways to better your craft, you must have inevitably come across the advice - Write Every Day.
Authors like Stephen King, Anne Lamott, Ernest Hemingway, and Haruki Murakami prescribe that writers write every day.
As an aspiring writer, I took this advice seriously. And failed.
Listed below are the number of days I wrote in a month, over seven months -
April - 8 days
May - 7 days
June - 16 days
July - 13 days
August - 7 days
September - 11 days
October - 12 days
So on average, out of 30 days, I wrote about 10 days.
And I am happy with the results.
The perfectionist in me would have lost her head over this abysmal result.
But I know better than her, and I am wiser than her.
For you see, this result is fantastic! This is amazing for a person who used to write maybe one or two days a month and then resist the work for months.
And for the days I missed writing, they were for genuine reasons.
Periods & PMS, migraine, other responsibilities, chores and errands, maintaining human contact, taking care of my health, sudden changes in plan, irritating muggles, disturbances and distractions - I have to manage my writing around all that.
And these things are quite human, regular, and, may I mention, unavoidable.
Plus, trying to force me to write a certain number of words every day turned out counter-productive for me and my mental health.
The number one reason why most writers advise writing every day is to form a habit.
It's when a task is turned into a habit that it becomes second nature. Therefore, more effortless to rely on to produce results.
But in trying to do so, you get more frustrated and/or disheartened, then your target is either too big or too complicated for you to tackle.
You need to find out is what is your regular output.
For me, if I write more than 10 days a month, it's a win.
It means I was able to take care of my writing and my life pretty well.
So yes, it's a good idea to write every day. But if it's something you cannot pull off, then don't beat yourself up.
Side note: We writers are always writing. We may not be put pen to paper every day, but we are always thinking and refining what we would write. So, you're good.😁👍
