Many writers tell you to set aside some time every day to write, no matter how small a space you can carve out. But should you? Is it really necessary to write every single day, or could you maintain your creative mojo without that discipline?
Let’s look at some pros & cons of daily writing:
- Daily Writing Promotes Discipline. Writing is a craft, and to attain skill at any craft takes discipline and practice. Making a commitment to write every day helps to develop that discipline. Anyone can write while the muse is standing behind their shoulder spurring them on. It takes discipline to slog past that and truly learn how writing works. You’ll need to figure out when your best writing time may be, of course, but once you have that settled, you can make an appointment to show up and get something down on paper.
- Discipline Helps Create Ritual and Flow. The more disciplined you become with your daily writing, the easier it will become. You create a daily ritual which encourages your creative juices to flow. To paraphrase Louis L’Amour, “The water won’t flow if the faucet isn’t turned on.”
- Ritual and Flow Help Your Brain Become Creative on a Regular Basis. Creating a daily ritual will encourage your creativity to show up on time. So close the door, get your cup of tea or coffee in hand, sharpen your pencils–whatever you need to ground yourself and let your mind know it’s time to get to work.
- Regular Creativity Results in Productivity. If you set a daily writing goal, whether it’s a word count or a total time spent at the job, you’ll find that manuscript building up.
- Productivity Cuts Through Excuses. When you get to the point where you feel guilty not writing, you know you’ve gotten into the right habit. Setting up that schedule and sticking to it is the best way to make sure you don’t have to regret anything.
Now, let’s examine a few of the possible cons:
- You might interrupt your natural spontaneity. Discipline is necessary if you want to be a professional, but remember your creativity also depends on spontaneity (and just a little chaos). If you need the occasional day off, take it.
- You might be overriding your natural rhythms. Writing daily is great if you’re using your body’s natural rhythms to help you succeed. If you’re setting a time to write that isn’t natural to you, your creativity will end up deserting you.
- You might be ignoring your need for other kinds of creativity. Writers also have other creative outlets they need to exercise. By all means, take a break when you need to. Learn a new hobby or enjoy an old one. Go dancing or play “pretend” with the kids. Everything you experience can help you write better.
- You might create a cycle of failure and guilt. Remember not to beat yourself up if you miss a writing session, though. Feeling guilty can prevent you from wanting to try again, and round and round you go.
- You might suffer from burnout. Rigidly following any schedule, especially if it seems to be stifling your creativity, is a sure way to burn out instead of becoming more creative. Be sure your schedule aligns with your body and mind and rhythms before you try to keep to it.