Should You Write Every Day? Here’s What the Best Writers Do.

Last Updated on August 13, 2023 by Nathaniel Tower

It’s possibly the oldest piece of writerly advice: write every day.

If you want to be a great writer, you need to write every day, right? Just like if you want to be good at anything, you need to do it every day.

Except for when you don’t.

Let’s explore the positives and negatives of writing every day. Keep in mind that my goal here is not to convince you whether or not you should write every day. It’s to present you with both sides so you can make the right decision for yourself instead of just blindly following “age-old” wisdom.

Confession: I Don’t Write Every Day (Or Do I?)

Full disclosure before we go into all the hairy details: I don’t write every day. At least not fiction. As a content strategist at a web design company, I spend a good chunk of every workday writing website copy. On some days, this could be as much as eight straight hours of writing. On average, I probably write between three and four hours a day at work. As you can imagine, by the time I drive home from work, pick up kids, make dinner, play with kids, and put kids to bed, I don’t feel much like writing. Not even the fiction that I love so much to write.

But that isn’t too much different than every other writer’s schedule. Writers have busy lives. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to write. I suppose this post could just as easily be titled “How to write fiction when your dayjob requires you to write nonfiction almost all day.” That’s not what I want to focus on though. As a fiction writer, I’d say on average I write two days a week. I used to write a lot more back when I was a teacher, but a lot of things have changed in my life since then. I’ll spare you the details so we can focus on the topic at hand: should you write every single day?

The Case for Writing Every Day, Or, 10ish Reasons to Write Every Day

why you must write every day

Of course you should write every day. If you don’t write every day, you’ll get rusty. If you don’t write every day, you’ll fall into the habit of not writing, and pretty soon weeks or even months will go by and you won’t have written a single page. If you don’t write every day, you can’t get better at your craft. If you don’t write every day, you can’t gain enough traction on any particular project to be successful. How could you ever finish a novel unless you write every single day?

Stop making excuses. There’s really no reason you can’t write every day. No one is so busy that they can’t set aside five or ten minutes to write. Although that’s not ideal (you should be shooting for at least an hour a day), even five to ten minutes will keep you in the habit of writing. It will ensure that you never take a day off (which, as we established before, can turn into many days off).

If you don’t write every day, especially while you’re working on a novel, you’ll forget where you are and you’ll have to spend so much time reminding yourself what you’ve done that you won’t make any progress the next time you start writing.

If you don’t write every day, then it’s going to take forever to finish that novel. Remember, you have goals. You want that book published by the time you turn 22 or 32 or 42 or at least before you die. Besides, the longer you put it off, the more likely it is that someone is going to steal your idea. Then what? No book deal, all because you didn’t write every day.

If you don’t write every day then you’re just a hobbyist, not a writer. Writers write. It’s as simple as that. If you want to be a writer, you must write. If you want to be a great writer, you must write every day.

If you really want to write every day but find yourself struggling to get the words out, then try these writer’s block tips.

Recommended reading: everyday vs every day.

The Case for Not Writing Every Day, Or, 10ish Reasons Not to Write Every Day

why you don't need to write every day

The notion of writing every single day no matter what is ineffective at best and harmful at worst. Of course you need to take some time off. Forcing yourself to write no matter what is counterproductive. It’s often a waste of time–instead of creating any work that’s worthwhile, you just scribble something down to fulfill an obligation. You gain nothing from it. It’s just an act of going through the motions. Instead of wasting that time writing garbage, you could be reading or spending time with family or enjoying the outdoors or living your life to the fullest in any other number of ways.

The best case scenario is that writing every day leads to wasted time and lost opportunities. Writing every day can actually be harmful, both mentally and physically. It can wear you down. It can sour you on writing for a long time. It can convince you that you aren’t meant to be a writer. It can leave you depressed. Imagine if you go a month straight writing nothing but garbage. You’ll get into such a funk that you may never recover as a writer.

Sure, you can try to write through a slump, and you might be able to shake it off eventually, but you’ll be doing it at the expense of your life. You’ll miss out on social events. You’ll lose precious moments with your kids. You’ll become a hermit who does nothing but write and still has nothing to show for it. You want something to show for your life other than a manuscript that will never be published, right?

You need a break. You need to recharge. Writing every day doesn’t allow for your brain to recover. It doesn’t allow for you to take a step back and gain some perspective on your life and your work. It forces you to become a mindless writing machine–and not a very efficient or effective one.

Everyone needs breaks. Athletes take days off for their bodies to recover. Doctors don’t work on patients on their days off. Lawyers don’t practice law when they’re on vacation. You have to take a break or you will burn out.

If you write every day, you’ll get sick of it. You’ll grow to loathe the very idea of writing. It will cease to be a pleasure and become a pain. Consequently, you will become bad at it because no one can excel at something they hate doing for very long.

Hate to use the old cliche here, but just like you never forget to ride a bike, you never forget how to write. Yes, it might take a bit of extra effort to get back into the groove if you take a lot of time off. But the next time you sit at the computer or pick up the pen or however you choose to write, the words will eventually come whether you wrote the day before or not. And whatever masterpiece you’re working on isn’t going to disappear if you take tomorrow off.

Write According to Your Own Schedule

Okay, so a lot of the examples above are pretty extreme, but so are these absolutist statements that writers must write a minimum of X number of words or X number of hours every day. Sometimes you just can’t. You have other responsibilities. Other priorities. Life can’t be lived solely through your writing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t write every day. It’s all about what works for you. Don’t force yourself to stick to some rigid plan that has never proven effective for anyone.

So there are the two sides of the coin. Which side do you fall on? Do you write every day? Share your tips and your strategies in the comments.

Should you write every day_ A close look at the oldest writing advice

Should you write every day? Why writing every day might not be for you

Why it's important to write every day

249 thoughts on “Should You Write Every Day? Here’s What the Best Writers Do.

  1. This is such a great post, thank you. I’m not a fan of telling myself that I “should” do something – I tend to find it gives me something to rebel against. I prefer asking myself what I would like to do instead, so I write when I want to write, not out of a sense of obligation, as you say. Great name by the way (my son is called Nathaniel!)

    1. Thanks for reading and commenting. I think we always do our best writing (and our best work period) when we’re not mindlessly doing it out of obligation. Good luck on all your writing this year!

    2. Thank you for writing this blog. I feel encouraged once again to keep going on mine. I love to write it seems and I’d like to keep going with it. Happy New Year!

    3. I’ve lost a battle, for since one and a half year ago, I’ve been writing every day through diarying. However, today, every single one of my countless amount of completely filled diary books I regret. Recently finished my last one and felt sad only by the lock of it. For me writing, meditation, exerscise — all those things I once figured I should do every day — are mindless obligations I’ve underibelatly practised. The act of writing isn’t good without actual readers; actual purpose, indeed teaching by factual texts or authoring fiction is better than writing every day. If you have to chose between writing for the sake of writing, urges on you too! too cuntinue on a writing project, thereby writing only meaning & truth avoiding the hassles of garbage writing.

  2. This post has reassured me that it is okay and important to take a break once in a while to relax, reflect and refresh yourself. I should not feel guilty when I take a day for myself. I love writing but doing it religiously everyday is not always possible. Thank you for sharing this Nathaniel! 🙂 Happy New Year to you and your family.

  3. So pleased I have read this post this morning. I had begun to worry that my main WIP was doomed, while it sat in a dusty corner of the laptop because I am so enjoying blogging. And researching. And using a dictionary for the first time since high school. And reading others’ blogs. So I am writing SOMETHING daily, keeping the cogs turning and getting the family members used to me sat aloof in front of the computer in the hallway, as opposed to in front of the Panasonic in the living room. Just five minutes here, and thirty five there. They won’t bat an eyelid when my fingers flex before my “morning’s work” starts to kick in … somewhere around Easter I’m guessing, whereupon I will shock myself re-reading my NaNoWriMo tsunami and turn it into a flowing ocean of credible writing. (See how my self esteem is going well too?) x

      1. 😂 … I appreciate your enthusiasm. In fact, I just stole it from WordPress and bottled it (if I don’t tell anyone, the admins will never know). It is sat next to my laptop on the shelf and shall watch over my creative journey… ☺️

  4. A really good post and nice advice. Writing is actually my escapade from my design work or life in general. I have blog in two languages. One in my mother-tongue and the other one is in English.
    🙂

  5. It’s a fine line of discipline and recharge for me. I spend lots of time studying and writing things other than my blog. However, I write thoughts out every day in a journal that I draw from as I write.

  6. I love this post. I took a year off teaching to explore the world and find out if I could write but other than a couple of blog posts and diary entries, I haven’t started that ‘masterpiece’ or even found any inspiration for a novel yet. I have been doing freelance writing jobs writing non-fiction as well and found myself so busy every day I didn’t even have time to read let alone lay out some ideas for my novel. And I’ve been feeling guilty about it. But now, you have reassured me that this is ok and totally normal, and good writing cannot be forced. I was thinking of making a new year resolution to pick up a ‘writing 10 minutes every day’ habit but I know I am just kidding myself! I can still set a goal but I don’t need to feel bad if I miss a day or two in between.

    1. Thank you so much for sharing your own struggles here. Your experience sounds a lot like my own: teaching, freelance, feeling guilty, etc. I wish you all the best in 2018. May this be the year you start writing that masterpiece!

  7. You make so many good points here. For some time now, I haven’t been writing enough. But when I’ve forced myself to write something just to check it off the “to do” list, often I’m uninspired by the writing I produce. It’s such a Catch-22!

    1. Rhonda, thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve been in that “not writing enough” boat myself for too long. I took much of 2017 off, but I won’t let that happen this year. Here’s to renewed passion for writing (and not doing it every day!).

  8. So glad this popped up in my WordPress reader. I heard and told myself all of these reasons for and against writing everyday. I try to stick to writing at least two days a week. Initially I thought I could do everyday but that just put unnecessary pressure on myself.

    Happy New Year. Now I’m off to go read your other stuff.

  9. I’m a musician, my goal is to play everyday… practice makes perfect. Perfect is a recipe for crazy…but I play better, and easier, when I play every day.
    I think the rule is to have no rule…but try to play/write every day…and try to remember to take care of yourself… Happy New Year Folks!
    (I write also, but am so busy practicing that I forget to write…). 🙂

  10. After taking time off from blogging (to no one in particular because I have a large amount of insecurity) and writing I take your words as comforting. The pure enjoyment in writing is worth the effort when the effort seeks to satisfy.

    Happy New Year!

  11. Great post – I do write every day and have done so for the last five years. I also follow the adage of reading for two hours each day. From my perspective, I do not sit in front of a television or follow social media for hours on end. Writing is my profession and reading is my pleasure. This does not prove the rule as I am sure there are brilliant writers who write once a week. Many thanks for your posts, they are enjoyable and thought-provoking. Ian

    1. Thank you for sharing your experience. That’s awesome that you find 2 hours a day to read. I need to make an effort to give up a little social media and television for some more reading time. You’ve motivated me to make some changes in my own habits.

  12. I’m finding this post very helpful. I started blogging, in part, to get my creative juices flowing again, but I’ve had trouble building consistency, and when my day job obligations became more intense and I felt sapped of all creativity, I just didn’t blog – for months. Just started back yesterday.

    This post has given me the idea to make sure I write for just a few minutes in my journal every day, just fun, obligation-free writing, and try to post at least once s week on my blog. I’ve got new ideas teeming in my head already.

    So it’s true for me that writing requires some discipline, or I don’t write at all – but too rigid a schedule quickly makes it a chore. There’s great freedom in going with your creative flow. I suppose balance is the key.

    Glad to know I’m not the only one that struggles with this dilemma. Thanks for the encouragement!

    1. Thank you for sharing your insight. I’m so glad this post was helpful for you, and I’m excited to see what you come up with this year. The once a week blog plan sounds perfect!

  13. Your post confirms that I need to take a little vacation to recharge and refocus. I started my blog last month and I am I already struggling to find inspiration. Before reading your blog, I was considering throwing in the towel. Now, I don’t feel guilty about my lack of enthusiasm towards writing. Happy New Year!

    1. You better not throw in that towel! I’ve always found the best posts come from inspiration and time, not from something we toss together just to meet some daily writing goal. I look forward to seeing what you come up with after your short vacation to recharge and refocus.

  14. My day job doesn’t involve much actual writing, so I could never be burnt out from writing really. It’s the opposite actually, writing is an escape from what I do everyday. I don’t write as a profession but more as a passion. Do I write every day? No. I started taking a writing class last semester and will continue this semester. I also self-promised that I will update my blog every single day, but that does’t always involve writing.

  15. Good points for both sides of the coin I think. I started to write everyday and then other creative avenues began to open up. I now feel that something creative everyday all inputs to that doing muscle that edges itself out of the ego and breaks through barriers.

    So yes to doing something creative everyday so that I can be constantly challenging the “I can’t do it” illusion

  16. It’s a hard habit to kick, when I am not at the keyboard I miss it but yes the ideas often come while away. Walking is good but most of the good lines came while at work where I jot things down on post-it notes often coming home with pockets full of the damn things. Even as I am writing this I am wondering if I should make changes to the novel I swore was finished, I’ve got the bug bad!

    1. I too find myself writing down ideas on scraps of paper all the time when I’m away from the computer. Rarely do my ideas come when I sit down to write. They often come at the most inconvenient times. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve jotted down a note at an inappropriate time.

      Now start sending out that novel and get it published!

      1. I”ve been sending my work out for a while now, if I get a response it’s usually a polite refusal or it turns out they’re a vanity publisher. I am seriously considering self publishing on Amazon or trying to find an agent, thanks for the encouragement.

  17. It’s great that you presented this descriptively rather than prescriptively.

    I could do with introducing a regime to my writing in order to progress (or even just as therapy), but everyone is different. What works for one person most certainly does not work for another.

    If we remember to not to preach a one-size-fits-all approach, we can be free to conduct our writing whichever way works best for our personal habits.

  18. I love this well-deserved Discover post!

    I’m an unpublished author, (with the hope of changing that moniker soon), and blogger. If I count general blogging, I rarely miss a day of writing. That said, the family, holidays, and a few vacation days shift my priorities totally guilt-free. I will go back to my routine when my family flies back tomorrow. I know what it’s like to force myself to write every day since I finished NANOWRIMO in 21 Days. But, I prefer a slower, less stressful pace. For me, balance is key!

  19. Thanks for this – the minute I give myself a hard & firm directive (i.e. “Write every day!” or “Wake up at 5am to write… every freakin’ day!”), I seem to shrink away from the very thing I long to do. This is exactly what I needed – permission to write with intention and purpose, in the time available!! Happy New Year!

  20. I just started writing with actual intention of following through with it and so, I was a bit scared to read it all. However I do agree with you on several points. There will come a time when people might not want to or be unable to write due to ‘n’ number of reasons. I have done that multiple times in my life and then regretted it sometimes. However I do feel that with a certain type of people, there needs to be every day writing or else, they might not actually get around to it.

    Aside from all that, I completely agree that one must write according to one’s own schedule, there shouldn’t have to be a ‘I have to’ or ‘I must’ about writing. Not unless they have an idea that needs to be written down immediately, an idea that wouldn’t let them rest.

    1. Thank you for sharing your experience. As you say, we’re all different, so it’s important to find the formula that works best for each of us, whether it’s something specific like “write every day” or something vague like “write when I feel like it.” Good luck with your own writing!

  21. I enjoyed the post very much, especially the blunt truths! As someone who is new to blogging and “relatively new” to writing, this is a dilemma I’ve often pondered on for hours. Now, I guess 🤔 everyone has to take a page from starwars find their balance on the force.
    I’ve only been writing for a few months like this for pleasure, before it had only been academic uni. assignments. I’ve been writing almost every day, I did catch myself a few weeks ago not writing anything at all. Ideas wouldn’t flow so I stepped back for a few hours and tried again, nothing. Then a day, still nothing, then two and then after a few days of just resting, relaxing and light researching I tried again and the ideas began to flow.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience. We all have those droughts where nothing comes, but it eventually flows. I think it flows better when we take a short break and don’t force it, but you have to find what works for you. Good luck with your blog!

  22. Thank you for such a thoughtful post…I was just thinking of making a new resolution about how often to try and write –or post on my blog this year! I’m new to blogging; and kind of a slow mover in life, my initial goal has been to post an ‘article’ once a month-and then I discovered the Weekly photo challenge and love that! I write in my journal a lot–sometimes thoughts and sometimes prayers…writing is like a friend you just can’t ignore. .So I’ll be thinking on this!

    1. Best advice I can give is to post as often as you have something you really want to say. Make every piece count, and don’t rush to put something up just because you want to meet some arbitrary goal. I look forward to seeing what you post this year.

  23. I guess it is relative and it is great how you put the pros and cons of writing daily
    But am sure just writing even once in a week
    And since am Somali with rusty English i guess writing can help me to express myself more freely using Englisg language

  24. Thank you for this post. I used to suffer the same angst and guilt you describe re rules/schedules- I still do sometimes- but mainly I’ve now got a balance between living (not writing but doing stuff) and writing (about the stuff I’ve done). I keep little notes as I go, but I only write and publish a post if I feel I have something to say. This means my schedule is random, although not half as random as my topics, as I just write about whatever’s been going on, in my life or in my head! Thank you again.

  25. I started my blog with the intention of posting once a day. The idea, of course, is to push myself to write something every day. Of course, that means not every piece is gold, and there’s definitely an argument to be made about any habit that produces mostly garbage, but in my case the discipline is something that needed to be established and I’d like to think even the garbage I produce now is a little less stinky for the practice. Then again, I think if you’re *thinking* about writing, such as thinking, hey, this might make an interesting story, or just some words you need to incorporate, that counts as ‘writing,’ too.

    But more importantly this year, I, for one, need to make more time for reading. I think it was Stephen King whose number one piece of advice for writers was to read. “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.”.

    Thanks for the post, best of luck in the new year!

    1. I read an article a while back that said if you sit down to write at the same time every day, you train your brain to be ready for the task. I think I inadvertently did that. I used to write to ease my anxiety before bed, which sometimes helped me sleep better. Now I feel as though my best work is more inspired during those hours. I’m trying to get a few windows during the day where it’s not so tedious, but so far most of what I’ve produced during the day is garbage.

      1. Personally, I find ideas come to me at the most random times, so trying to capture those for future review has been a challenge. I’ll carry a notebook in my back pocket, but after a few days with no eureka! moments will leave it behind. And, sure enough… There’s a million different ways to go about writing, and just as many ways to frustrate them, haha.

        1. Oh, absolutely. A few weeks back, a friend of a friend on Facebook ranted about a writing trope (“She crossed her arms under her breasts.”) and I retorted with a terrible version of that. It stayed with me long enough that I was able to work it into my novel. Really defined the character.

  26. Lovely post. I struggle with this. For me I have found that what works best to at least write three times a day. But when I am feeling particularly inspired or excited I can write like 4 times a day even

  27. I tend to write probably five days out of the week. I find what works best for me is to have two different writing projects going at once. I keep working on one until I start feeling a little burnt out (usually about in two weeks). Then I switch to the other project and do the same thing. This method seems to keep me going most of the time and also feels like it helps with writer’s block.

  28. Wow, an hour a day! That’s a bunch of words. I write in the morning to organize my brain, was born with pen in hand and LOVE words… but don’t actually write. So where does that fit? Not sure but writing is part of my breath, not my shoulds.

  29. I do not write everyday–I don’t believe in it. I believe in writing at my own schedule; I can write a handful of short pieces in a day or have a dry spell that last weeks.

    For longer works, like novels, I have the same approach, with one addition: I understand that if I don’t write then the project will never be written. That’s motivation enough on most days to get me to work on the long project. I use scene-by-scene outlines to make sure I don’t lose my place (one of the cons for not writing each day).

    1. Great point about using outlines. If you don’t have good outlines, you’ll spend so much time figuring out where you are the next time you try to start writing that you’ll never finish that novel.

  30. I really enjoyed this post. I’m not a writer. Just someone who sometimes likes to write – barely a hobbyist – so I’m not sure the ‘writing everyday’ piece of advice would even apply to me. Still, I always found it a bit intimidating – sort of like by not writing every day, you’ve already started off with a failure which is kind of a negative way to look at things.

  31. A lovely piece😘Great start to new year
    ….It’s a fact that writing is 7 times needing more concentration and is better than just reading.. Loads of love and Happiest New Year to you…God bless you❤

  32. I would say yes. Because if you do not develop a habit of it you will lose touch of the subject or your writing pieces does not seem to connect. But You are right to think as well that there are pros and cons to writing everyday. Since I am working on a novel what works for me is to write daily at least even if its just for few lines or paragraph but sometimes if I feel everything is bland then I call if off tomorrow. My challenge is if my vacation from job is too long this is the golden times I use to snatch away myself to continue to write. My personal experience was this is more difficult because when I write daily the words comes so easy. Maybe my mind thinks I’ve got only a short time and so my minds ticks very fast. Unlike if I am on vacation and really set myself to continue to write, I need some music, watch or read an inspiration and only then I would be able to let myself write. So for me the best of my writing abilities comes on a short span of time and doing it daily. 🙂

    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I agree that writing every day is a big help when working on a novel. I had a set routine for writing every day when I drafted my current novel-in-progress. Taking days off can really derail the project. If I didn’t feel like writing on a particular day, I might reread some of it or work on an outline. As long as I was working on the project in some way, it counted.

  33. I don’t know. I started a blog last February as a daily writing challenge for the month of March and have written almost every day since. I enjoy posting (reflective writing, mostly) everyday and find that posting in the morning is most effective for me. I agree that there is no one approach that is right for all. However, I also agree with the more one practices his/her craft of writing, the better on will become at it. I wish your post was a little more directive, in all honesty. I have not “struggled” to write but instead found things to balance my writing, like photography posts, in which I give myself a little break. But, I also have almost 100 ideas on my wordpress drafts started on which to expand when the time is right. Is writing daily mandatory for a writer? No. But, will it help you with your craft? I think, yes, it will.

    1. Great point about needing to practice the craft. That’s a ton of drafts for your blog. I applaud you for taking your time and not pushing things out before they’re ready. Keep up the good work!

  34. Since I left my job, I’ve been writing every day, most of it terrible. I imaging that I’d get more than zero to seven hits per day to my blog if it was any good. Such is the way with creative writing, I guess. I think I’m also holding back a little, as most of my best ideas and work seems to be getting funneled into a book that will probably never be finished. I mean, I’ve only restarted it fourteen times in the past seven years. This version might take, but I suppose I won’t find out until I get an overwhelming urge to light it on fire.

  35. It’s definitely difficult to decide which side of the argument I agree with more. This statement: “Imagine if you go a month straight writing nothing but garbage,” however, is definitely wrong. It’s impossible! I know from experience that even if I start out writing garbage, there are always a few gems or interesting phrases/ideas that come out of almost every writing session. I also believe that writing cannot be compared to riding a bike. I took a long break from writing poetry, and now I feel like I have lost some of those muscles/thought process that you need to write poetry.

    As with most things, I think the middle route is the best. You should write every day, but you shouldn’t kill yourself if you miss a day or two here and there. And yes, vacations are definitely important. I always feel refreshed after taking a break from my computer or journal.

  36. Thank you for the candid pros and cons. It is intimidating to see seasoned writers post every day without fail. As a rookie writer, juggling the demands of work, college and parenting presents consistency challenges. Words beg to be written on their own time schedule.

  37. Writing every day is only counterproductive once it becomes a chore. To me, writing is something that you should want to do, not have to do. It’s nice to have the intentions of writing every day but life happens and sometimes the creativity and flow just isn’t there. In my opinion, a great writer is someone who writes for the sake of writing because they enjoy it – an end in itself not a means to an end – and can also maintain balance in their writing. It doesn’t mean they need to race towards those 10,000 hours, it’s that they aren’t even worried about getting there.

  38. Some common sense there. When I was a full-time journalist I use to write almost every day because that was my job. I took a different career path and writing was used in some activities ie grant submissions, speeches, media releases etc. I am also studying for a BA so lots of writing there. But now that I have had some time out from work for health reasons, I am enjoying using blogging as an outlet but not every day! Just like going to the gym or your morning walk, if you miss the occasional session it is not the end of the world!

  39. Some months, yes. Some months, no. When my family and consulting schedules are a little looser, I can usually write every day. And yes…when I have the time to sit down and write every day, I seem to write well and fast. When my schedule is packed and I’m brain-dead, it’s useless for me to try. My writing and/or editing isn’t what I want it to be.

    But, during those busy times I can still carve out some time each week to put words to paper. It has to feel right, and I have to be in that space in my head. If I’m taking care of myself physically and mentally, I find it easier to write…and easier to get motivated to write. I’ve been super busy lately but still try and find a few hours each week to edit. I’m on the second edit of my draft and hope to be done in a few weeks. Slower than I’d like to be moving…but moving none the less.

    Thanks for a great post! Happy New Year!!

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience. I can never do any productive writing when my schedule is really packed, but sometimes I find some free moments to jot down an idea or read a little extra. Good luck with your editing, and please let me know when it gets published!

  40. I love this post and kind of hate it because it’s all so true and something I struggle with! I try to blog every day but sometimes it’s gruesome and then I don’t end up producing the work that I feel like I can. It’s important to challenge yourself but sometimes you need a break to gather your own thoughts. Honestly this was a refreshing article !

  41. I needed this! I used write journals since I was 12 and that was my daily writing exercise. Laziness and a hectic life took over me and I somehow took a break from writing. Now I haven’t written a single thing in the past 1 year!

  42. I managed to keep my year-long goal of 1K words a day in 2017… but I definitely have a lot of days with a big ol’ 0 on the spreadsheet. We should refuse our excuses but also recognize our limits.

  43. “Write everyday, draw everyday. If you don’t, you don’t improve.”

    From all my lifetime, that’s the only advice I heard from professionals around the world. And as I grow older, the tendency to disagree with them is getting stronger.

    You are right, writing everyday can be harmful. Everyone could use a day off once in a week. It is much wiser to create our own schedule instead.

  44. I’ve written 3 blog-posts a week since October, hoping to stick to that.

    That has lead me to sometimes post about being too tired or busy to write anything “so here’s a kitty!”, but it has also lead me to writing some good stuff that had not existed now without having that arbitrary rule for myself.

  45. There’s a lot to take away from this post. While I’m all for taking time off from a WIP, I also think it helps to write something every day…even if it’s not the WIP.

    Also, as a cautionary note, taking too much time off from a WIP could cause the author to lose interest and vision of the story.

  46. This was a great read. Thank you. As a Paralegal by day and raising three boys, I am often at odds with myself, wondering why I don’t write fiction more often, when I love it so much. For me, it’s not really a question of finding time, because Lord knows there are times I come home from work, tear off the suit and bra, and spend some quality time staring at the ceiling.
    I struggle with feeling inspired to get myself into that mindset, that “zone” where your story is unfolding before you. It’s challenging to get there, or even try to get there, when there are so many other tasks awaiting.

    I’ve started a children’s series with my oldest son and am hopeful for the new year and fresh start.

    Let’s do this! 💪

    1. I think you may not understand why writers are told to write every day. Many writers miss it. You write every day to invite inspiration. If you wait for it, you’ll be waiting a long, long time.

      If you write everyday, that set of experiences, where your mind is, your degree of tiredness of piss-offness can come together to create something truly unique. But if you don’t write that one day that opportunity for brilliance will be lost.

      Using the water part of your brain is a vital part of the creative process; but so is not beating yourself up if you miss a day or two.

      1. Great point! This definitely should have been included in the pros for writing every day. I’m really glad you shared your thoughts here. You might have just pushed me into the write every day camp. Or at least every day that’s feasible.

      2. That should be writer part of your brain. Nathaniel, you are in an unique position because you do write every day. In your case, I would think about setting up brain storming sessions for your work and then writing times on the weekends to do your own work. You write so much you should be primed on the mechanical side and able to jump into it with a bit of idea prep or whatever you like to call it.

  47. Very helpful and thought provoking. I am a binge writer. Obsess about having the time and only want to when I have headspace and hours ahead of me. New Year Resolution. maybe not every day, but most days. That’s a start right?

    1. Yup I am also a binge writer. I write a personal blog and have weeks where I write 3, 4 or even 5 full entries in a few days. Then I’ll go 10 days with no writing. I have found scheduling posts is a nice way to manage this pattern to give consistency to the blog!

  48. I stopped making writing goals so I don’t feel guilty when I don’t reach them. I instead write when I want. I write when I enjoy it. If I don’t enjoy it, I don’t do it. However, I do read everyday. I have at least convinced myself that reading is still working on the craft.

      1. Couldn’t agree with that more…it’s something I picked up in college, but it took a few years to figure out how to put the advice into practice. A lot of what I write are opinion pieces on news or sports, but reading fiction and poetry has helped in different ways.

  49. I blog everyday and sometimes have to write everyday. As a college student, you have papers to write and assignments to write so in a way I really don’t have much of a choice when it comes to school. I blog everyday because it helps me deal with the stress of life and college

  50. Perfect.

    I’m a Dad of a 4 year-old. I’ve posted 37 times in 2 years.

    I keep the tales between 500 and 2,000 words because, yes, I couldn’t imagine trying to write a novel while parenting. I am a willing hobbyist and I wouldn’t change my habits for a day.

    Maybe I’ll post 13 times this year for a nice total of 50 over three years. Great post Nathaniel.

  51. Excellent advice presenting both sides of the coin. I found it especially relevant as I’ve been writing a children’s story everyday for the past 73 days with a goal for doing so for a year. Most nights, I’ll write from 7-9 after the kids are in bed, but, at the moment I’m writing while in a tent! It means some late nights and there’s plenty of times I want to “have a break for today”, but I’m also enjoying the lack of choice I give myself to find a unique story to tell everyday. Having said that, I’m also looking forward to day 366 when I get to have a guilt free break! Great lost.

  52. Great article ! The questions you are posing are extremely relevant. As far as I’m concerned, I also reckon there are pros and cons about writing (fiction) everyday. I’d say there are more cons because as you clearly pointed it out, writing fiction everyday can definitely wear you out, and eventually become a burden… Which would be a shame. Writing should be pleasure, the pleasure to turn pain into something else, to sublimate it. However I think that writing non-fiction everyday is a very healthy and cathartic activity. It enables to get rid of the psychological scories and turmoils of the day, it is a way to purify ourselves and leave room for greater feelings and ideas. What’s more, writing everyday as in a diary or a blog is an amazing way to enrich and improve your writing skills. I like to think that journaling can be turned into an art, just like Anaïs Nin did. 🙂

  53. It’s the kind of post that perfectly puts forth the raging battle in a beginner’s mind. I’m so aware that I must write everyday if I want to improve as a writer but in my current situation I just can’t. I tried initially but it became too stressful; I stopped enjoying writing so now I write when I feel the urge to write but I ensure I put up a post once a week. Through this post I feel less guilty. Thank you.

  54. I agree that writing everyday can become a chore. I have beaten myself up for not working on my craft everyday. I find I do my best work when motivated by an idea or a new story. I must feel the purpose. Great post that brings a lot of perspective on writing. Thanks for sharing.

  55. This post speaks to what i have been pondering. First, i am definitely a Hobbyist. This writing bug just bit me about 3 months ago. I don’t know if I’ll ever write a book, but for now i am happy doing book reviews and just writing about things i like. I don’t write everyday, but i have to tell you that there are times that a topic will bounce around my brain until i write it down ir get it out. I do believe in following the road to see where it leads and have as much fun as possible. Life is way to short for such ridgedness, live it and write about it when you can. Open yourself to feel the inspiration

  56. That bike analogy was a good one. I used to say, use it or lose it. I’m afraid I’ve lost it. My brain cells are out of shape these days. I do think that when it comes to writing, reading what other people have said and how they’ve gone about saying it is a good beginning for a beginner. And whether it’s fiction or non-fiction getting your research right is vital,before picking up that pen. Does anybody pick up a pen any more?

  57. I appreciate this post because it details out positivist ideas on both ends but then leaves it up to the reader (writer?). It’s also applicable to other careers like visual art.

  58. For my blog, I do write every day. I also write every day in my own personal journal but I use it very differently. My writing has certainly improved since I’ve begun, but I know it still has a long way to go. Writing for me is very personal, especially when hand written. It helps me process my thoughts and and reflect on each and every day. I couldn’t survive without it at this point in my life. Although my blog is in its infancy stages, I’m excited to see how it evolves over time. Sometimes I worry I may overshare by blogging every day or the information will become repetitive. I’m happy to continue with my goal as I figure it out

    1. A lot of writing does happen in the head, but (and I’ve found it out for myself this past year) if you don’t write it down, then that’s where it stays until it’s pushed out to make way for the next lot of writing (in the head) 🙂

    2. That’s a great point. Writing doesn’t have to be putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards). Writing can be any number of things, including editing, outlining, thinking, reading, and even screaming about how much we hate writing!

  59. You may be missing what is meant by the advice to write everyday. It is important that you put your but in a chair and put words together a coherent manner. every day Writing is practice. I don’t just believe it, I know it is true. Nathaniel doesn’t need to worry about working-out or warming-up the writing brain cells because as he says he writes every day. (But he may want to set goals to help get a novel completed.)

    What this advice means is that you sit down each day and invite inspiration. If you wait for it to happen you will be waiting for a long time; at the same time, if you try to force it, you will scare it away. The circumstances of each day combined with your emotional state or degree of tiredness or brain chemistry can create something wonderful. If you don’t write that day you run the risk of missing it. Inspiration is so rare you want to give it as much a chance to strike as possible. Most writing is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration. The days I have to force my self to write are usually the days I have my best ideas.

    Writing each day prepares you to work to a real a deadline. Many new writers don’t think of this. Suppose your book proposal is accepted by the publisher? How are you going to get it done on time? You are still going to have all the life stuff you have now. It doesn’t magically go away. The days of the large advances are long gone.

    The other part is writers need to be kind to themselves. What stops most writers is guilt over missing a day. They beat themselves up much like what is demonstrated in this post. That is what you should not do. If you miss a day, let it go. Re-commit the next day and the next.

    You need to put your judge in a lock box and throw away the key. The advice is to write every day, not to judge the quality of your writing everyday. I have a post on my blog about setting workable goals titled Baby Steps check it out if you are looking for a gentler approach.

    Maybe you never heard the second oldest piece of writing advice, “If you want to be a writer, don’t take a job as a writer.” LOL. Just a thought.

  60. Lifting maximal and submaximal weights is a neuromuscular work more than a pure muscle work (’cause the brain has to coordinate any muscle optimizing it’s work). In fact when i work with them i feel mentally stresses exactly like after writing a lot!

    I agree, everyone need it’s rest time between a session and another to avoid the terrible “overwriting syndrome”!

  61. A read that probably made my day way better than how I planned it yesterday you see!! Well I loved your concept of portraying two sides of the coin.
    To add on to what you detailed, I love to write every day but it should not always be for a purpose of adding an article of blog post or another chapter of the novel. It should be simply for the joy of writing 🙂
    So I write for myself every day, just like a daily diary, and post a blog whenever I feel my write up is ready and I am happy with my content 🙂
    Thanks for this lovely post 🙂 and Wish you a great 2018 🙂 Happy writing 🙂

  62. I needed to read this because I am always battling the idea, “should I be writing every day?” This post has made me realize I need to take a step back and do what works best for me while considering others advice.

    1. Absolutely. No writing advice (or any advice, really) can be universally applied to everyone. We have to think for ourselves and decide what works for our given situation. Thanks for reading!

  63. I don’t write everyday. Sometimes I go a couple of months without writing. I get into this funk, where my mind is blank. Yesterday, I was having that trouble and I sat by my laptop till figure it out. Because I had ideas, they were just all over the place. What helps me is reading, traveling, and just talking to people to get ideas. Sometimes an idea will just come to me. I’m trying to write more because I like it. I like being able to use words to express myself and having something that is mine. So, I will not stop writing even when my mind is in a funk. Thanks for this blog!!!

  64. Oh wow…I could feel parts of me unclenching while I read through your post. When you’re (it could be just me, of course) venturing into something new, you instinctively start a list of do’s and don’ts. We’ll call them guidelines/framework. They help us function/be productive. I found, however, that the whole everyday-pen-to-paper obligation was more than a bit oppressive and even suppressive creatively. I can’t help but find it hilarious (darkly) that one would say to a creative… ‘Then fetter your muse to the desk for an hour a day!’ and that’s not to say that all writing must be inspired, but the rest/breaks from writing allow the snowball to build a bit, to become a bit more coherent. This I believe helps with content and that content is king (it’s on my list)! Anyway, very nice post.

  65. I sincerely think one should not force his/herself to write everyday. Writing is something that comes naturally to individuals; it’s a matter of understanding how you feel. I for one, can wake up in the middle of the night to write down ideas that might pop up in my head at the time. At the break of dawn, i then work on such ideas. It’s all about striking a balance, and having a passion for it.

  66. There’s a problem with the viability of your message. And that problem, is me. All of what you say is right..it just seems that I’m plagued by all-pervasive…inconsistency. I seem to have humanistically evolved to where something will work one minute….the next it won’t. The predictable conundrum isn’t present at all times. He less I work for control…the LESS I seem to have….

  67. I like your perspective. Ultimately it’s all about balance. But I think life kind of takes care of the ‘rest days’… There will be occasions you just can’t do it, for one reason or another. Opening the door to the idea you get time off because you don’t fell up to it would be risky for me, I think. Good post!

  68. How about the doubt in your own ability? Has that ever been an issue for you? I’ve been writing for a little while, fiction and nonfiction, but have just very recently set up my blog here. As I didn’t have any social media before I struggle with finding readers and through that with receiving feedback.

    1. Of course! I think every writer has doubted their ability at some point. The key is to keep practicing and experimenting with different forms to see what you’re good at and what you enjoy. The latter is the most important.

  69. I belief that is our duty to write more than everyday many times a day is even better. Long painful texts about nothing. This will purify our scriptures and clean out the mess in our brain. So my suggestion is that you write at least twice a day about anything that comes through your mind.

  70. Many thanks for this, I am relatively new in blogging and still need to find my way. Need to say that one of my most challenging parts for me at the minute is the fact that English is not my native language. How can I overcome this? Any advice? My proposal for 2018 is to be more consistent and publish one post a week and see how it goes need to realistically make proposal if goes well I may increase to two or even three. Have a lovely day whenever you are in the world

    1. The best advice I can offer is to read as much as you can. That should help a lot with mastering the language (although, judging by your comment, you’re already well on your way!). Good luck in 2018. I hope you hit your goal.

  71. I personally can’t write every day. I don’t make a living solely on writing, at least not at this time in my life. I may never. But I try to write as often as I can and especially when inspiration strikes. Thanks for the arguments for and against writing every day! Good food for thought.

  72. Thank you for a very interesting read. I will study it at more length. I am new at this game and every bit of advice is required and needed. Thank you again

  73. I like the idea of writing every day. However, I couldn’t write the same things every day. I certainly couldn’t write award winning fiction every day. I could write some great fiction, but then I would probably write some drivel too.
    I think the key to writing every day (if there is one) is to write different things on different days. Non fiction one day, fiction another, articles one day, stories another.
    I have to admit, that this sounds good, but there are going to be days when I just don’t write.

    1. I like that approach, mixing it up from day to day. I don’t think anyone is capable of churning out great stuff every day. At least half of what we write is bound to be drivel. Even the best writers in the world have more than their fair share of garbage sitting around on their computers.

  74. I’ve spent months without writing because I forced writing daily on myself for too long. Now I’m going back into it, but I’ll be following my mood and intuition rather than forcing the habit on myself.

    1. 2 hours a day is A LOT better than nothing! I think that’s a huge chunk of writing time, and I’m glad you found it. Utilize that well and you’ll be writing tons of great stuff in no time. Good luck!

  75. Lots of good thoughts here. I think it highly depends on the person and their personality. I’ve also noticed that how much and what I write closely relates/mimics what’s going on in my life.

  76. First let me say thank you for your post, it’s nice to see the extremes on both sides 🙂

    I write everyday… So far… My goal is to write one page (give or take) everyday this year. I’m only 9 days in and it is refreshing. I work on my main projects when inspiration strikes, but I enjoy creating in general.

    Just because I’m working on a bigger project does not mean that I can’t take a minute to become inspired by a prompt, tell a short story that is rattling around in my head, or test my creative ability via random prompt generators.

    Nothing you love to do can ever truly be work. 🙂

  77. Great points. This idea that there’s an absolute standard all must follow to be successful is crazy. Granted, if you want to be successful at writing, you better be writing. A lot. A whole lot. But inspiration strikes us all at different times and in different ways. To each his own!!

  78. I used to be told to write everyday for so x amount of words and so on. The prime example of that is NaNoWriMo where the challenge is to write 1500 words a day. That is a lot.

    I have found writing like half an hour a day is good enough. I can say that is good enough because it works well FOR ME.

    What I am saying is, at the end of the day, every writer must find a system that works for them. That would mean writing in different styles, having different writing practices and eventually figuring out what works best for them.

    Thanks for the post!

  79. I would say I am a “procrastinate” writer. I always say I will write but end up never writing. Even when I start, it’s always unfinished. Thanks for your post

  80. This is by far the closest observation and advices I’ve read this week, especially when I’m trying to get back to writing. I don’t want to be a writer, I just want to write. Writing helps me a lot because I’m not good with verbally expressing my thoughts, but if I force myself to write, sometimes it can wear me down. I stopped writing for a few months, and when I came back, it felt so hard to form anything. Yeah, writing can get rusty, and it gets rusty fast.

  81. I find that when I force myself to do something every day, it works for a few weeks and then it dies completely. On the other hand, if I establish an ideal routine and work it into my week in a way that fits naturally, eventually it becomes a habit. For me it has been true with exercise, writing, reading, eating healthy, etc.

  82. Great advice. For me, if I don’t write every day, I get out of the habit so if I don’t, it might lead up to months of no writing. You hit the nail on the head with that one.

  83. Loved reading that, it really made me think …. I’m new to all this so perhaps not the best example. Right now I’m so keen that I’m spending every spare minute reading or writing and simply loving it. Wish I’d have done it years ago. Thanks for making me think about it!

  84. As a high school student, I write whenever i have something on my mind. But i never sit and write for long periods of time. I’m still new at it so neither do i always grow ideas in my mind, but copy them from others yet keeping the originality.
    I also write blogs so I’ll be glad to have you visit my page sometime. Have a new post coming out soon😉

  85. The best pieces of my writing according to me have been when I was in between jobs!I’ve started to believe that one’s mind need to be totally free from all fatigue to be able to bring out the best. Really glad to have read your post.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience. Yes, I’ve definitely noticed my productivity on personal writing projects goes way down when I have a lot on my plate at work. Unfortunately, it can be quite hard to free the mind!

  86. For me, I read more than I write. But to be a successful writer, you have to do both and find a balance. Having a set schedule to write is very important. It takes discipline, but everyone can do it if they put their mind to it and they truly have that burning desire to write. Starting a story on a blank slate, trying to form that first sentence for the opening, is the hardest part. It can be grueling, but man is it satisfying once the story starts to have a life of its own–especially when it grows its own set of lungs and breaths on its own. It’s an amazing process!

  87. I enjoyed your thoughts on this. I have recently been exploring the idea that an artist (in any medium) must continually strive to perfect their craft. To me, writing is no different. I find that the more I sit down to actually do it, the more ideas I have… sort of a positive feedback loop. Thanks!

  88. For me, I am already writing almost everyday for my college work. Essentially I do not have room to get rusty on my technique, but I do get breaks on the days I don’t have something due which inspires a burst of energy to write for fun. Essays and other college writing is exhausting, but it keeps my writing skills fine tuned. I am grateful for that aspect, but it can get frustrating when I’d rather be doing something else with my time. I would agree that I lean towards the kind of person that writes when I am inspired, otherwise what I am writing is not worthy content. This was a very thought-provoking post and I enjoyed looking at things a bit differently.

  89. This is exactly how I have felt lately. Writing by my own schedule when I really want and need to write more. I often find myself telling myself a story or idea out loud and we know what happens then. We tend to forget. Lol

  90. It’s really great…What I feel is even though I feel like writing I am currently messed up with my profession and passion.Dietician by profession I am still struggling to reach a settled place as a dietician.On the other hand I aspire to be a Novelist..So two opposite things and so stressed most of the times how to make it?

  91. G’day Nathaniel, thank you for the post. I love to write and every morning I write. This is the best time for me and it sets me up for the day, it is my exercise for the mind.

  92. Thanks for some of the inspiration. As a writer myself, I set deadlines of when I want to push articles out but I don’t have specific days or hours dedicated to writing. I just have to feel ready enough to write and then when I do it’s like a sudden burst of energy! haha Glad to hear from another persons perspective.

  93. I write slightly obsessively, in mad bursts, where I only sleep for about 5 hours, going to bed at 11pm and waking up at 4am, needing to get straight back to my laptop. It is all-consuming, and difficult to blend with family life! I fortunately have very tolerant family members. At other times I can achieve a better balance, but I would probably rather be in that crazed creative mode.

  94. Yeah, you are right. It works differently for everyone.

    Beautifully written 🙂 Thanks.

    I also wrote about my journey as a writer, how I developed a daily writing habit, and a few tips that have worked for me to minimize distraction. Do visit my website and check out the article.
    Let me know if you like it 🙂

  95. I have to say it is nice to read about other writers who do not feel the need to write every day. I’ve always felt kind of bad that I don’t feel led, for lack of a better word, to write every single day. When I was younger I seriously doubted I was meant to be a writer because I did not want to write every day.
    Now I know better and write when the inspiration hits. Sometimes that’s once or twice a day, sometimes it’s once or twice a week. I keep a notebook with me when I’m away from the computer because you never know when an idea might pop in to your head.

  96. I’m about to get my degree in writing from Johns Hopkins, but as of now I have assignments and papers to keep me actively writing. I’m afraid after I graduate I won’t feel the same pressure or motivation to keep writing. I think a balance of finding the time and finding the will to do it is great advice. Great read!

  97. Great post! I am one of those people who does not write everyday. I am new to blogging again (second time around I stopped because I thought that i had to write all of the time) Things are going better this time because i am not pressuring myself to find something to write everyday.

    All the best to you, Happy New Year!

Leave a Reply