Should You Write Every Day?
Posted by annastan on June 2nd, 2010. Filed under: WIP, Writing Rants.Brian Yansky has an interesting post about the importance of writing every day. He states that “getting to the ‘writing place’ where you can pour out words is easier if you open that door every day.” Even a snippet of daily writing time, he says, is better than nothing.
When I’m working on something new, I do try to write every day, though it doesn’t always happen. I find that the longer I go without writing, the harder it can be to get back into it. It’s like the writing wheels get a little rusty if they’re not used every day, something that became all too clear yesterday morning after I took the long weekend off from writing. Oops.
Revising, however, can be a different animal. I’ve found that sometimes the longer I’m away from a project, the better the revising goes. Often I run into problems if I try to revise too soon and too consistently. It’s important to get a little distance once in a while in order to see the project more clearly. (Though don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re letting things percolate when you’re really just being lazy. Not that I ever do that…)
So for me, anyway, the magic formula seems to be: write every day but revise more sporadically. How does that compare to your writing formula? Do you write or revise every day, or do you find that you need time away? (Hey, that rhymed!)
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:32 am
When writing a first draft, I write 5 days a week. When revising, after I’ve let it sit, I do that during my writing time, so yes, it’s every day. Sometimes weekend nights but I do try and refill the tank over the weekend and spend time with friend and family. Of course there are the days due to life where not much writing happens. And somedays where I get more than expected. Nothing ever goes as perfect as expected.
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:58 am
I think it’s really important to walk away from your ms for a bit before revising. When you look at something with fresh eyes, you tend to notice the mistakes more.
As far as writing, when I’m on the first draft, I write compulsively. I write every day because I have to get the story out. Then I take a break before revising and sending it out to my crit partners.
I also didn’t write or revise over the long weekend, and am happy I didn’t. Vacations are good for the soul.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:00 am
I write every day, too. But your post is coming at a funny time for me… I’ve been struggling with maintaining energy for my revision and have started to wonder if I would work at it better sporadically. I always figure my work ethic is the one thing I CAN control as a writer, so it seems contrary to lose that. But at the same time, distance, even a day’s worth, certainly helps revision.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:07 am
I write most days but take days off when revision/drafts are done.
For me, the “write everyday” mantra became an exercize in fear. I do what works for me.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:17 am
I’m with you on this one. I need that door open every day. (LOVE THAT) When I’m revising, I need lots more down time to think, but I still need to touch base every day!
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 am
I like to write everyday—somehow, in some way to keep that door open because, for me, it shuts really fast. As for revising, I need to leave the manuscript sit for a while—okay, sometimes a long while—to give be an objective perspective.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:59 am
I agree! Writing every day keeps the story moving forward and getting done. I find if I don’t show up on the page every day, I might miss something important! But I do need distance to revise, for myself and for my WiP.
June 2nd, 2010 at 12:50 pm
I’m actually the opposite. When I’m in the middle of a rewrite, I have to work on it every day or I lose the thread of the revision. On the other hand, I tend to go in spurts while I’m writing. I’ll knock out 4k one day, then skip a day. But I do try to write a blog post or comment on other blogs every day, if that counts
June 2nd, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Yup, writing every day keeps the door open, and I try hard to do it. During a draft, I also try to write on at least one of the two weekend days, maybe even both. I don’t always succeed at this, but a quote I read eons ago in a writers’ magazine sticks with me: “Leave the muse for one day, and she’ll leave you for three.” I don’t buy into “the muse” per se, but I think the principle is true. After the draft, I need a few days — three, maybe — to decompress before starting revisions. On deadline, I never dared take much longer than that, but hopefully I have pretty good distance from the earlier chapters by then. If the book gets too familiar during rewrites, though, I may need a few more breaks.
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:00 pm
These are some interesting comments. I think Yansky may have a point saying that writing every day can get “closer” to the story.
You don’t have to write pages and pages but I think even just consciously thinking about your story and characters every day helps (especially in the draft stage).
I think our subconscious works this way as well — keeping the story in the background.
I “try” to write most days even if it’s something short. But I don’t beat myself up if I don’t get to it. I understand that I do have other responsibilities.
I like having weekly quotas though (word count or scene count). This helps me have some breathing room when things out of my control happen (i.e., day job).
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Wow, Laura, I’m amazed at your discipline! Sometimes I feel guilty for not writing over weekends, but you’re right that we need that time to “refill the tank.”
Kristi, vacations ARE good for the soul. And even though it can be hard to get back into the swing of writing, it’s nice to miss your WIP once in a while.
Anne, I know exactly what you mean about having control in an otherwise uncontrollable field. But if your project requires a break here and there, maybe it’s worth a try.
Caroline, writing every day can be absolutely impossible sometimes, so yes, we just have to do what works for us.
Heather, I think with revising half the work is brainstorming and daydreaming, some of which can be done away from the computer. I guess that’s why the write-every-day approach doesn’t exactly fit.
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Andrea, the door shuts pretty quickly for me as well. Sometimes, if I’ve been thinking about the project a lot, I can slip back into writing, but most of the time it’s painful to get back into the swing of things.
Laura M, I just love this: “I find if I don’t show up on the page every day, I might miss something important!” It’s like the manuscript is just there, waiting to be unearthed, whether we’re there or not.
Jamie, if you can churn out 4k words in one day, you can get away without writing every day! I love how different people’s writing approaches can be!
Marcia, thanks for sharing that muse quote. I hadn’t heard that, but I definitely think there’s some truth to it. I promise to stop neglecting my muse so much!
Karen, that’s a great point. On days when it’s impossible to write, just taking a few minutes to mull over your story can be invaluable. Even if it’s not “writing” that kind of approach can still be really useful.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:22 pm
I agree completely. When I revise I have to put the project away for a long time to “forget” so I can read it with fresh eyes. In the meantime I need to be writing daily because it’s hard to get in the mind set of a writer after being away from it for too long.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Agreed! I’m working on something new and it’s smoother when I pick it up every day. If not, it takes just as long to reread where I’m at and get back into the story and voice as it would have to take a few minutes to write on the day before.
With revising I need huge chunks of time to work through it. It helps the flow and continuity. Among other things.
Great post, Anna!
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:15 am
I try and write every day, but sometimes everyday life gets in the way. Sometimes when writing a lot, I get burned out and need to take a small break to get away from it all for a little while.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:00 am
I try to write everyday, but I don’t beat myself up about it if I can’t get there. Stuff happens. Luckily, my current WIP is pulling me to write it and won’t let me leave it too long.
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:26 pm
I am pretty good at least at focusing on the writing biz every day. Somedays no writing happens, but there’s so much other stuff to do, I feel good about it.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Catherine, that’s why I like to have a couple different projects to work on at once, one new and one old. That way I can keep writing even when I have to put a revision aside.
Jackee, that’s a really good point. If you spend too much time away from your WIP, it can take forever to remember where you left off and to get back into the tone/mood of the story.
Janet, I think that’s why it’s nice to have some flexibility in the “must write every day” rule because sometimes life gets in the way of writing or we need to take a mental health break.
Andrea, that’s the best feeling when your WIP is calling your name. Then writing every day doesn’t feel like an obligation but almost like play time.
PJ, it sounds like you have a nice system worked out. I think that’s the goal, to feel content with your own particular approach to writing.