Should I write everyday?

It is a question that every writer is posed, normally early on in their pursuits, and its a valid question. Should you write each and everyday? My answer is that you should strive to write everyday. Of course, there’s always more to it than that.

We all know how life goes. There will be a streak of days that you aim to write when it just does not seem to happen. You can’t beat those days, so you won’t write on those days. There will be days that you are sick which again means no writing. Do you have to go to a wedding, party, funeral, appointment, or any of the million other things that tie up so much time? If the answer is yes, then the odds are against you.

To combat this, I’d say to put writing on your to-do list every day. It will be an on going battle to actually conquer that item on the list by bed time. There will be days, weeks, maybe even a couple of months that you win that battle, but the opposite is also true.

The main benefit of intending to write is staying motivated and in the creative mindset as often as possible. That mentality can cause some severe headaches to reclaim once it slips away.

“But what about my other goals in life?” you may ask.

This is a valid question with so many different answers because there are so many different factors. You can’t blow off your family indefinitely, be they blood relatives, in-laws, close friends, or pets. You still have to make money to pay bills, and if writing isn’t doing that then you still need a day job. I touch on this a bit more in this small article here.

For the sake of simplicity, here’s the short version of my answer: work towards your goals. If that means your writing time suffers then so be it, but at least intend to write. Try to think on ways to improve your current WIPs while you work towards other goals. Jot down a quick note on some scrap paper if that’s all you can do.

Intention is the key to keeping the door open to writing. When you have time to open that document, file, notebook, or whatever means of writing you use up again, I want you to be able to get right back into your world. When you lose that mindset it feels like it takes two shamans, thirteen gold medallions, and the tears of a mermaid to get it back.

The below links are for related articles that you may find interesting, as well as any articles linked in the story.

Struggles on the Written Road was linked in the story. It briefly covers some of the issues that have stood in my way when trying to find time to write.

Is It Really Burn Out deals with exactly what it sounds like. Are you burned out, or tired and over-loaded.

Does Your Story Go on a Shelf discusses how to handle that transition between writing and editing.

About the Author: I’m from a little town in middle Tennessee. It didn’t offer much in entertainment when I was a kid so I took up reading, thanks to my grandmother, and videogames, courtesy of myself. My love for most things creative and fantasy related took off from there, with writing leading the pack.

Any of Jimmy’s published works can be found on his website or you can find it here on Amazon.

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