How Often Should You Write?

Do you need to write every day or not? This is the big question at some point and time a lot of writers out there ask. I think the better question is, really, what does your writing mean to you right now, and what do you want it to be in the future?

Is writing your therapy?

Did you write because someone said you were good and it was nice to be good at something?

Have you decided to be the best-selling author?

Do you want to just be published in a couple of places?

Always wanted to write the book stewing in the back of your mind?

Do you see now how it is hard to answer that question? 

I think it is easy to say yes, write every day no matter what is happening. Writing daily is a great way to get practice, play, and your voice to really come there. There are so many benefits. You can also get larger projects done faster. 

Something to consider if you feel like writing daily isn’t sustainable all year to pick challenge months for yourself. I do this through writing communities such as Camp NaNoWriMo, StoryADay, and NaNoWriMo in November. During these times, I plug into the community and report daily to push myself. For the rest of the year, I stick to a different schedule. 

My other schedule flows better with my daily life and the obstacles I am faced with. When I look at my life and some of my friends’ lives, writing daily maybe just isn’t always in the cards. Our lives might be overwhelming with illness in families or the busy season at our jobs. There might be children or other people that need us just a little bit more right now. 

In the end, I think either path can be significant. You shouldn’t beat yourself up for what course you are choosing. We are all different. No one writes the same way at the same time. Experiment to find out what works for you. Just remember to make time for yourself and your dreams. Even if you only get 5 minutes, just write. 

Taking a Break and Coming Back to Writing

I think everyone I know in the writing world has taken some time off of writing. I know I did, although I wouldn’t recommend the amount of time I took off by any means. I have to say through those 10 years that I was living a different life and exploring things I would have never considered previously.  

We can all use a little time off if our deadlines allow us to feed different facets of our creativity. What do we have to write about if we are not experiencing things, or maybe it is the lack of being able to experience that you would want to write about? 

Today I see the story in almost everything now. There were times when I struggled to find anything to write about. However, a leaf running across the road or in the man who sits in the parking lot every day for lunch is my story starts. I wonder why this leave is moving in this very moment what would it mean to someone who feels along and what is this man going through every day he sits in his car.  

What I am saying it is okay to take some time off now and then from writing. I just recently had to for my own peace of mind.

I know I said it.

 Take a break.

Not because I said you should, or it is what I do but because you might find ourselves burnt out. It doesn’t mean you have to take a break for years or even months. For that matter, just take a day off. 

For some of you, this might be scary because you don’t know what it would be like to not write for a day, but you can try it. Take the day off from writing and write about what it was like to take the day off. 

Did you like it? 

Was it like nails on a chalkboard? 

Then do it again, or don’t do it again, but don’t feel like crap because you give yourself a break.

I’m constantly bombarded with posts and emails about being productive, going at it like a boss, and this is the only way to get anywhere in life. Sometimes the pressure seems like so much I don’t feel like I can breathe. That is when I stop.

I stop looking that posts, stop racking my brain for more writing time, and stop reading the great articles.

Writing doesn’t disappear, and you don’t forget everything you learned. Now you might be a bit rusty when you come back to writing, and you might want to read up a little on what is going on in the world of writing if it has been years. 

You can always come back to writing. 

It is never too late to write the book. 

You can allow yourself to rest. 

It is never too late to write again.

If this was you, stop here if you need a kick in the rear keep reading.

So maybe you are not the person that needs to take a break but need a kick in the rear?

You are screaming 

Where did October go?

 November is ticking away! 

I have sat here for the first few days of November and realized October came and went in the blink of an eye.

What do you do now that month is over, and you have nothing written you wanted to? 

1. You start over. Not from scratch mind you, but you do have to forgive yourself and realize every day is a new day to write. 

2. You guard your writing time with your life. Whatever time of day that is for you.

3. Start with smaller projects or goals. Write a flash fiction story in a week or a poem if you are living a crazy busy life. At the end of the month, four is better than none. 

4. If you have not other time at least, give yourself 10 minutes. Come back 10 minutes early from lunch or give yourself 10 minutes before you go to bed. Even 5 minutes is better than nothing.

I have read a lot of articles that say write every day even when you don’t feel like it. I see the benefits in this because the more you create on behalf of your passion, the better you will be, but much like life has seasons I think writing does too. It is still okay to have a break and give yourself the grace to get back to work. So if you are in that resting period, set yourself a timer and stick to when you will write again.

Minutes toward your dream are better than nothing, so just write. 

Monday's Mug 006

Hello everyone! How was your weekend? Thank you for joining me for my Monday Mug. I am having coffee with my creamer this evening, and I will get you whatever you like as long as it is coffee. I can't believe it is already July. I am just sitting here wondering what happened to the year because I feel like January was yesterday. I have had a busy week, so let's get to it. 

I would bring you into my kitchen table retro 60s with the mustard yellow rolling chairs because the kitchen is where everything gets done. It is night here, and I often start to randomly talk about subjects in the evening because my days are spent listening to others.

So, to start with I had a really rough week last week. I thought things were going good, but for some reason, I had just really been struggling with my writing. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to write about or projects I love, but I just couldn't get myself to walk over and sit in my chair to write. It was mind-boggling to me, and I finally started to reach out to other writers. I had many different opinions to choose from and enjoyed them all. I just wanted a parental butt chewing because I thought that was what I needed. The butt chewing didn't happen, but other advice was given instead. I decided I should stop being so hard on myself for not being at the level I expected of myself. 

I still didn't write much after that, and I do believe some of it was because I was going to be doing Camp NaNo this year. For those of you unaware NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month that happens in November. They have more flexible camp versions that occur in April and July. I am back with a cabin in July I have been in for a couple years to change up the rest of my year. I felt like I just didn't want to write this last week before camp began because this month at camp, I am pushing myself for 50,000 words. Which is odd because only a few sentences ago I said I should stop being so hard on myself. I think my goals may change just so I can breathe a little more. My idea for the camp had also not solidified yet, so I am totally pansting it this year, which also give me a little anxiety. 

Would you like more coffee? I will refill your mug too. 

It was a busy week at my daytime job, which may account for my lack of wanting to write in the evening when I come home. I am trying to figure out how to give myself enough rest so I can be a morning writer.  I have also tried to write in notebooks, and I don't like it. I have tried every pen and paper type I can find, but I still am having problems with it. I think it just because I trained myself in college to type every story I was working on then. I have also come to a place where I am typing as fast as my internal narrator speaks, and I cannot keep up handwriting. I do still enjoy writing poetry out by hand, but I think it is because I play so much with the position of the words as well. 

I had meetings and classes this week that didn't go as planned, but it turned out that is was okay because I really just needed to give myself a break for a few days and work on my mindset with where my life is headed right now. 

I guess I am going to let you get some rest for now and maybe I should get some too. Until next time.