On Writing Every Day

The other day I came downstairs for dinner and announced, "I still haven't gotten my writing done for the day," by which I meant my novel writing. After dinner I was going to have to go back upstairs and finish it.

My partner said, "I should really treat guitar practice the way that you treat writing. You always know whether you've gotten your writing done. I play guitar when I'm in the mood for it, or when inspiration hits, but I should make a point to practice every day. I should keep a log."

My writing practice is always shifting. My current goal is 500 words a day on the novel. I can do this in about half an hour if I actually do it. The main obstacle is finding ways to avoid sitting down in front of a word processor and doing the writing, so for the last few days I've added an additional goal: The first thing I do when I sit down at my computer should be to put on my Writing Playlist and set a timer for 20 minutes and I'm not allowed to do anything else except look at the draft during that time.

I like finding ways to sneak up on a problem— to create the conditions where the goal will be achieved, rather than hammer head on the goal. The job is never to write the entire novel. The job is to write the next 500 words. The job is to sit down with the novel and do nothing except read it and think about it for twenty minutes. The job is to write the next sentence.

Most people who want to write more should have a daily writing practice. This is recycled advice but I'm recycling it for a reason. It's good advice. It's possible that you, reading this, are the kind of person who can successfully write only when seized by the little goblin of inspiration, but if you're that kind of person, you'll know. If you want to write and you don't already write every day, try it.

Me? I'm a person who is only happy when I'm writing. Writing calms me down. But I forget this. When I'm not writing, when I'm about to write, writing seems like the worst thing in the world. Writing seems impossible. Everything I have ever written its terrible.

So: Rules. Write every day. Write at least this many words. Start the day this way. Send the newsletter every Thursday.