How to write every day?

Imriaylde said:

Something that helped me during a NaNoWriMo-type challenge was this: If I'm sitting at a computer, at the top and bottom of every hour, write 100 words. I've usually found that 100 words is pretty easy to get out, and by the end of the day (as I've got a desk job) I'd end up with ~2000 words per day.

Of course, I've tried to keep up with that after the challenge and it's been harder, so do with it what you will .

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This sounds brilliant. I am going to try it starting NOW. Thank you!

ETA

Re: the discussion about those who really love to write never needing any tips: Good lord, I absolutely love to write fiction. There is no day better spent than one I spend helping my characters tell their stories. I love it so much it feels more like self-indulgence than work. But I also work full time (in a job that involves a lot of technical and marketing writing and editing). Like many writers I also have a spouse, children at home, pets (including a new puppy at the moment), extended family (including very elderly parents), volunteer work, a social life, a house and a yard and a body to take care of, which adds up to endless obligations and demands on my time and attention. So it hardly matters how much I'd love to make writing my only priority.

So yeah, I will admit without shame that any tips or tricks that help me find more time for the joy of writing are quite welcome. To shame a writer for asking for this kind of guidance, or consider yourself some how superior or More Writerly for not needing it, is to behave like a complete twerp IMO.

Devil Ledbetter said:

This sounds brilliant. I am going to try it starting NOW. Thank you!

ETA

Re: the discussion about those who really love to write never needing any tips: Good lord, I absolutely love to write fiction. There is no day better spent than one I spend helping my characters tell their stories. I love it so much it feels more like self-indulgence than work. But I also work full time (in a job that involves a lot of technical and marketing writing and editing). Like many writers I also have a spouse, children at home, pets (including a new puppy at the moment), extended family (including very elderly parents), volunteer work, a social life, a house and a yard and a body to take care of, which adds up to endless obligations and demands on my time and attention. So it hardly matters how much I'd love to make writing my only priority.

So yeah, I will admit without shame that any tips or tricks that help me find more time for the joy of writing are quite welcome. To shame a writer for asking for this kind of guidance, or consider yourself some how superior or More Writerly for not needing it, is to behave like a complete twerp IMO.

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Other than a nine to five job, and a reasonable amount of time spent with your family, all else is choice. Shoot, everyone out there loves the writing process to death. They love it more than life itself. The fact that they don't sit down and do it is always because something or someone else stops them. They have the best excuses in the world. They're just too damned busy with a thousand other things, all of which were forced on them at gunpoint.

Jamesaritchie said:

Other than a nine to five job, and a reasonable amount of time spent with your family, all else is choice. Shoot, everyone out there loves the writing process to death. They love it more than life itself. The fact that they don't sit down and do it is always because something or someone else stops them. They have the best excuses in the world. They're just too damned busy with a thousand other things, all of which were forced on them at gunpoint.

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Devil Ledbetter said:

To shame a writer for asking for this kind of guidance, or consider yourself some how superior or More Writerly for not needing it, is to behave like a complete twerp IMO.

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Thank you for demonstrating.

I work and have a hubby and three dogs and I like to cook and craft as well as write. I have found that having a regularly scheduled writing time helps me. it's not long, M-W-F for about a half hour before work (I go to the gym T-Th). but it's enough to keep me feeling good about my progress. The other thing that has helped me a lot and seems so obvious is realizing I can write alongside my hubby while he does his thing on his laptop. Crazy right? Also I can write while he watches a stupid show on TV - on a weeknight. Just realizing I didn't have to be solitary while I wrote has helped me get a lot more words on the page and having those three set times motivates me to write other times. I spent all day last Sunday on my novel. I forgot - I try to utilize lunch breaks and either crochet or write when I am not napping or being social. (Sometimes you just have to obey the nap.)

As to the OP, I don't really understand why you need advice for non - writers either. If you want to write something, sit down and write it.

Orianna2000 said:

I'm a bit confused. If, as you say, someone is not a writer and doesn't want to become a writer, then why on earth would they need advice on writing?

I agree with James. I write every day because I LOVE to write. It's what I look forward to every morning when I wake up, and it's what keeps me up late at night, past my bedtime. If I had to force myself to write, something would be very, very wrong!

I don't keep track of daily word counts, because it really doesn't matter to me. Some days I write more, some days I write less. (The only time I don't write anything is if I'm sick in bed. And even then, I have a laptop, so I often keep writing regardless of my health.) So long as I'm making progress with my articles, or my novels, then I'm doing fine.

I suppose, if you're looking for specific advice, it's like how you make yourself do anything you don't want to do. The cat litter box needs to be scooped, so either you do it, or your cat will poop on the floor. Your choice. You might be able to put it off for awhile, but eventually, you have to gird your loins and just do it. If you have to write something and you don't want to, either you sit down and do it, or you suffer the consequences--whatever that may be. A missed deadline, a lost contract, a goal on your "to do" list not checked off, etc.

But honestly, if someone isn't a writer and doesn't want to be--to be frank, their writing is going to suck. You have to learn how to write well, just like any other hobby or skill. You can't just decide, "I'm going to perform at a piano recital," if you don't know how to play the piano and won't take lessons. I'm not trying to discourage you here, I'm just stating the obvious.

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Hrmm, but it's not quite THAT obvious, at least not to some of us.

See, whenever I'm in the midst of writing a book, 70% of the time I'm moaning, "OH GOD I HATE WRITING. Writing is the worsssstttt OH GODDD." I do it because I hate not doing it even more. It is exhilirating, and amazing, and makes up some of the best moments of my life, especially when I get in the zone and the words are pouring out and my hands seem like they can't type fast enough and I know the scene is going to be good. But it's also frustrating and exhausting. And sometimes, getting those words on the doc feel too much like work. Sometimes it's a struggle to spit even 50 words onto the page, knowing every word you typed sucked because you're stuck and you just don't know what's supposed to happen next in the story. Does that never happen to you? It happens all the frikkin' time to me.

Writing is something I love, but it's also something that takes effort to do. I also happen to love reading, and eating, and napping. It takes a lot less effort to do those other things, so sometimes I choose to do them instead. That doesn't mean writing isn't important to me.

It took me a long time to learn to discipline myself enough to write everyday, and when I'm in between books, like now, I don't write at all...sometimes for weeks and months. Sometimes I just need to recharge. Even when I'm in the process of writing, I sometimes take a day or two off.

Fwiw, years ago, I had a friend who wanted to be a ballerina. She was talented enough to go to a conservatory and is now a principal dancer. But I remember she used to moan and grumble about having to practice, and when I foolishly asked, "Then why don't you just stop?", she looked at me like I'd asked her to cut out her liver with a rusty knife. It's the same thing with some writers, isn't it? We love doing it, just not necessarily everyday. And we're human, so sometimes we prefer to dick around on the internet rather than focus on putting words down on a page.

If you've NEVER dreaded writing a difficult scene, or put off writing because you don't know where the character's going, or have to make yourself write for any other reason, then good for you. But there are those of us who sometimes find writing difficult, and it's perfectly fine.

Jamesaritchie said:

Other than a nine to five job, and a reasonable amount of time spent with your family, all else is choice. Shoot, everyone out there loves the writing process to death. They love it more than life itself. The fact that they don't sit down and do it is always because something or someone else stops them. They have the best excuses in the world. They're just too damned busy with a thousand other things, all of which were forced on them at gunpoint.

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James, it is not optional to take care of my body. I could write for the half hour five days a week, but when I don't exercise enough, my hip and back hurt worse than if I exercise too much. So much that it saps my energy and I lose sleep and then I don't have any energy left for writing.

Preparing food and eating, doing laundry, feeding the dogs, taking them to the vet when they are sick, taking care of hubby, taking care of myself, commuting and getting stuck in traffic (I've missed my morning writing sessions this week because of traffic), maintaining friendships and even relaxing and having some fun is not optional. We need to do those things to live and have a good life.

Also, it is a journey for some people. I know it has been for me. what, I can write out here in the kitchen with hubby? we can talk and it doesn't break my groove? wow.

Not everyone is you.

Just because we love writing doesn't mean it is not challenging to find time to do it.

David - I know exactly what you mean. I too am trying to juggle a thousand and one things, and feeling more than a little guilty that I don't write as many words per day as I could or should. Or that I'm not matching up to others who can keep themselves motivated and find time and ...

... and then of course I realise that while I have been typing this I could have been working on the WIP and the guilt ramps up again. So, yup, I am with you 100%.

The only trick that I have found is to keep tricking myself. Mechanical and artificial techniques like setting word goals or hours per day or chapters per month. Some people may not need them. Great for them. Some of us do.

The other thing that helps is to keep changing the tricks and the motivational techniques. Whenever something gets stale, try something new. Keep on tricking yourself, playing games, keeping it fresh. Every now and again I will read one of those self-help motivational books for a temporary kick up the pants.

Right now I have a quote that I have printed out and stands next to my laptop:

"Do you know what truly separates people who succeed from those who fail? It's simple:

People who do the work succeed. People who don't fail."

I put that there to nag myself. A constant reminder that I need to do the hard miles. I guess that the message will work for a while and then I'll stop noticing it. That would be a good time to look for another quote.

If there is an easier way I haven't found it.

I don't write every day. There are times I don't enjoy writing and times when I do. I wouldn't ever force myself to write every day, just as I wouldn't force myself to eat healthy every day. Eating healthy may be good for me, but I also need to treat myself to junk food now and again. Just as I need to treat myself to taking time off from writing. If I had all of the money in the world, I would probably still write, but not every day. So, since I'm not currently writing for any financial gain, I do the same thing. I write when motivated and when I find that it is the most demanding thing on my mind. Other times, I'd rather work out or be with friends. That's what a hobby is, and unless you are writing for income, writing is your hobby. To force yourself to write every day may end up burning you out or making you hate writing.

Putputt said:

Hrmm, but it's not quite THAT obvious, at least not to some of us.

See, whenever I'm in the midst of writing a book, 70% of the time I'm moaning, "OH GOD I HATE WRITING. Writing is the worsssstttt OH GODDD." I do it because I hate not doing it even more. It is exhilirating, and amazing, and makes up some of the best moments of my life, especially when I get in the zone and the words are pouring out and my hands seem like they can't type fast enough and I know the scene is going to be good. But it's also frustrating and exhausting. And sometimes, getting those words on the doc feel too much like work. Sometimes it's a struggle to spit even 50 words onto the page, knowing every word you typed sucked because you're stuck and you just don't know what's supposed to happen next in the story. Does that never happen to you? It happens all the frikkin' time to me.

Writing is something I love, but it's also something that takes effort to do. I also happen to love reading, and eating, and napping. It takes a lot less effort to do those other things, so sometimes I choose to do them instead. That doesn't mean writing isn't important to me.

It took me a long time to learn to discipline myself enough to write everyday, and when I'm in between books, like now, I don't write at all...sometimes for weeks and months. Sometimes I just need to recharge. Even when I'm in the process of writing, I sometimes take a day or two off.

Fwiw, years ago, I had a friend who wanted to be a ballerina. She was talented enough to go to a conservatory and is now a principal dancer. But I remember she used to moan and grumble about having to practice, and when I foolishly asked, "Then why don't you just stop?", she looked at me like I'd asked her to cut out her liver with a rusty knife. It's the same thing with some writers, isn't it? We love doing it, just not necessarily everyday. And we're human, so sometimes we prefer to dick around on the internet rather than focus on putting words down on a page.

If you've NEVER dreaded writing a difficult scene, or put off writing because you don't know where the character's going, or have to make yourself write for any other reason, then good for you. But there are those of us who sometimes find writing difficult, and it's perfectly fine.

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This. All of it. 100% truth. thank you for posting this.

Once! said:

David - I know exactly what you mean. I too am trying to juggle a thousand and one things, and feeling more than a little guilty that I don't write as many words per day as I could or should. Or that I'm not matching up to others who can keep themselves motivated and find time and ...

... and then of course I realise that while I have been typing this I could have been working on the WIP and the guilt ramps up again. So, yup, I am with you 100%.

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Well, those who'd have us believe that they are More Writerly Than Thou also happen to be farting around on AW same as we are.

sassandgroove said:

Also, it is a journey for some people. I know it has been for me. what, I can write out here in the kitchen with hubby? we can talk and it doesn't break my groove? wow.

Not everyone is you.

Just because we love writing doesn't mean it is not challenging to find time to do it.

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This.

I also love guitar, take lessons and often struggle to find enough time to practice. I don't think that makes me a poser guitarist any more than having to fight for my time to write makes me a poser writer. There are a lot of things I want to do in life and I have to balance those with my obligations. Those obligations consist of things I have no say in (aging family members, child with a broken leg, high-responsibility career that keeps a roof over my family's heads) and things I've chosen which enrich my life (darling new puppy).

It's interesting that someone can ask as earnest and honest a question as "How do you find time to write every day" and basically be told "If you have to ask, you're not a real writer." Questions like the OP asked are why AW exists. I really wonder why some people even bother with this place if they're so above it all.

Exactly. I didn't just pick up a crochet hook one day and master making sweaters. I started crocheting- erm- 20 years ago and I still have a lot to learn. There is a craft to writing as well, and you have to learn not just how to write but how to make it a habit and what works for you.

Jamesaritchie said:

If you love writing, you don't need tips or tricks. You clear your schedule, you push everything else aside, regardless of what it is, you make the time to write, and then you write because that's what you most want to do with your time.

You turn off the internet, yu tell your friends that, no, you can't go do this or that because it's time to write, and you'd rather spend that time writing than going to the mall.

Someone said that everyone wants to be a writer, but no one really wants to write. It's true.

I'm a firm believe in doing whatever it is you most want to do with your time. Life is short, so why spend your time doing something you don't love to death? If you love to write, then you will sit down and write daily. If you do not love to write, then go find some activity to fill your time that you do love.

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Victor Hugo would instruct his servant to empty a room and then Victor Hugo would sit naked in the room with nothing but pen and paper so that there was nothing else to do but write. A neat little "trick", if you will, to get himself to write. Would he have needed this trick if he had had an internet connection and posts from an obstreperous curmudgeon to shame him into writing? That would be difficult to say, but it can be said with a fair degree of certainty that he would have felt bad after someone implying that he doesn't even enjoy writing if he's having difficulty with it - and to go find something else to do.

Some people light up a room by entering it, James, and some people light up a room by leaving it. The grumpy old sage character in fiction is lovable because in the end his loving heart is finally displayed when his student or acolyte finally ascends the success ladder. However, in the length of a chat board thread, there is not sufficient time for the grumpy old sage to become the warm and lovable mentor and it leaves you stuck in the first grumpy and dislikable stage. This is probably why I keep seeing post deleted by moderator where many of your posts used to be.

"I hate writing, I love having written." - Dorothy Parker. It really is true that someone pulling their hair out in front of the blank screen of a word processor really does love writing. There are thousands of threads on this board from people having difficulty getting the words down, and there are hundreds of possible reasons for that difficulty. To get to the real reason why a writer is having difficulty would take time and effort to discover, but shaming a blocked writer will probably not succeed beyond making the writer feel hopeless.

If you're really serious about being a writer, you write. I'm with JAR on this. Tips and tricks might work for some but it just seems to me their motivation is suspect. Maybe they're more enamored with calling themselves writers than actually doing any writing.

That said, I do have one helpful trick. Sit down and write. Set yourself a goal of writing one sentence. That one sentence will lead to another and a other and before you know it, you're writing! That's because you'll find that sentences are like potato chips: you can't stop at one.

Devil Ledbetter said:

It's interesting that someone can ask as earnest and honest a question as "How do you find time to write every day" and basically be told "If you have to ask, you're not a real writer." Questions like the OP asked are why AW exists. I really wonder why some people even bother with this place if they're so above it all.

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Amen to that. I spent years and years questioning if I was a "real writer" because I didn't meet X, Y, or Z arbitrary standard that someone famous set. (Was it Stephen King who said you should only write if you can't help doing it? That one tied me up for a while, because, well, I could fill my time well enough with other things...)

None of these goal posts matter, because every writer's process is different. Heck, each writer's process is different for each book that they write. It doesn't matter if you hate the process of writing them or love them. You've put words on paper, therefore you are a writer.

In general, I hate writing when it's hard, and I love writing when I can spend multiple hours and 2,400 words in a flow state. I'm no less a writer when I'm slogging through the ugly middle.

To the OP's question, I've had the best luck with getting up an hour earlier in the mornings to write before work. The actual waking up part is hard, and needs to be trained, but once that's accomplished, it's utterly the best time to write--for me. The world feels fresh and new and free of distractions at that hour. It's also the one time I can count on being always in the same place--unless I'm traveling, I'm waking up in the same bed every morning. This makes it harder to skip due to schedule deviations, i.e. "oh, I have to go a concert that night, can't write tonight..."

This may not work for you, but it might be worth trying.

I also second whoever suggested word wars. You don't even need another writer; just set a timer for 15-30 minutes and see what you can get done. Something about the boundedness of it makes it easier to just stay on target and not dick around on the internet.

Shadow_Ferret said:

If you're really serious about being a writer, you write. I'm with JAR on this. Tips and tricks might work for some but it just seems to me their motivation is suspect. Maybe they're more enamored with calling themselves writers than actually doing any writing.

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Hm, I find that pretty disrespectful, tbh.

The advice to discipline yourself into making writing a habit is one which I agree with. In fact, my agent had to tell me to take a break, don't write so much so fast, because, especially during the rewriting phase, I tend to write like a mad hippo when left unchecked, which results in a rushed MS. But I wasn't always like this. A few years ago, I would write maybe 1K words every two months.

Then I read Roald Dahl's autobiography, and read the part about how he sometimes struggled to get himself to write. Writing as a full-time job is hard, he said, because you're your own boss. You set the deadline, and you're the one who has to make sure it's met.

On his website, best-selling writer Jonathan Stroud talks about how much procrastinating he does on a daily basis.

There are plenty of successful authors out there who often find it challenging to write. Why are we condemning writers who come here asking for advice instead of giving them help?

To give an example that isn't writing-related...Mr. Putt is a physicist. He absolutely loves physics. He loves thinking physics, talking physics, and doing physics. But there are days where he dreads going to work, because research is going slow, or not according to plan, or maybe he's just feeling lazy. It happens. Isn't writing the same as any other job in that sense? Some days you just don't frikkin' want to, so you have to make yourself do it, or take a break, or something. Since when did that turn into such a huge crime?

That said, I do have one helpful trick. Sit down and write. Set yourself a goal of writing one sentence. That one sentence will lead to another and a other and before you know it, you're writing! That's because you'll find that sentences are like potato chips: you can't stop at one.

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This is good advice to start with. Some people need more structure. I like having word count goals, or having an idea in my mind of what I want to achieve. If that makes me nothing more than someone enamored with the idea if being a writer, then so be it.

Shadow_Ferret said:

If you're really serious about being a writer, you write. I'm with JAR on this. Tips and tricks might work for some but it just seems to me their motivation is suspect. Maybe they're more enamored with calling themselves writers than actually doing any writing.

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Wow, Ed. Really? I do a lot of writing, I've completed NaNo every stinkin' year since 2007 and am doing Camp NaNo right now, to the tune of 35,000 words so far in the past 23 days ... and that was while working 8-5 (not 9-5 like some lucky ducks) at a job that included the writing-burnout task of editing a 15,000 word publication in the same time period, taking care of a kid with a broken leg and trying to train a stubborn but adorable puppy.

Yet I still appreciate a tip or two on fitting writing in because "Duh, just write!" doesn't always work for me.

lisefrac said:

I'm no less a writer when I'm slogging through the ugly middle.

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QFT

Putputt said:

Then I read Roald Dahl's autobiography, and read the part about how he sometimes struggled to get himself to write.

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Well then, Roald Dahl's motivations were suspect and he was more enamored of calling himself a writer.

Putputt said:

Writing as a full-time job is hard, he said, because you're your own boss. You set the deadline, and you're the one who has to make sure it's met.

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Yes. Very much so. And it's also hard when you already have a different full time job and you come home drained and your family is making demands on those few precious hours between your commute and bedtime, and you still have to set your own deadline and make sure your writing goals are met.

Putputt said:

There are plenty of successful authors out there who often find it challenging to write. Why are we condemning writers who come here asking for advice instead of giving them help?

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Because it makes people feel More Writerly Than Thou.

Congratulations. I've never finished a NANO project. Ever. And I don't force myself to write every day. I take weekends off. If I feel out of sorts, I don't write. But I'm not a professional and probably will never be because I lack the discipline. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't think someone who has the desire and drive to be a writer needs "tricks" to motivate them. They just sit down and write because they know that's the only way they'll improve and the only way they'll ever produce anything publishable.

NickCarcano said:

I've found two things helpful: Realistic goals and my smartphone.

For a long time my goal was 1,000 words a day (the Steven King gold standard) and it seemed so daunting I wouldn't even start. So I cut it to something more reasonable, 250, and it's a much lower psychological barrier. I frequently end up writing more than 250.

Also, I use the "Notes" function on my phone to write during the day when I have some spare time. I find that because it's so messy, I figure it's going to need work, so I have fewer hangups about writing.

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Brilliant but in case you haven't used it, I'll share a trick I've found. I recently got a smartphone so this does only apply for that type of phone but google docs can be downloaded and you can type right into the drive. I've found I can get a couple hundred words that way, right onto my phone.

Andrea Rittschof said:

Brilliant but in case you haven't used it, I'll share a trick I've found. I recently got a smartphone so this does only apply for that type of phone but google docs can be downloaded and you can type right into the drive. I've found I can get a couple hundred words that way, right onto my phone.

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Hey cool.

Thing is, writers write. They make time in their busy lives to write, instead of just thinking of writing. That is what separates writers from those who "want to write a book," the motivation to do so. Tips and tricks help a lot, but motivation is key. Even the best tips don't force someone who has no interest in telling a story in this particular way to write the story down.

We have obligations, have to take care of our bodies etc. but just as we have to make the time to do other stuff we enjoy or fullfil obligations, so do we need to make the time to write. James was much too too harsh, but he is right about people finding the time if the genuinely wish to write.

I personally don't write every singal day, but I try to be as consistent as possible. If I write on a fairly set schedual then I get more done, and that makes me feel good. The point is that I make them time for it, even if someone can only write two days a week, say on the weekends and they work for a couple hours each day, then they're writers. They're taking the time to do something they claim to want to do, and that is writing. Only having two days a week where they can realistically write doesn't make them a posser, as long as they take advantage of the time and use it instead of making excuses to do something else. A posser says they want to do something but then never makes the time to do it.

Shadow_Ferret said:

That said, I do have one helpful trick. Sit down and write. Set yourself a goal of writing one sentence. That one sentence will lead to another and a other and before you know it, you're writing! That's because you'll find that sentences are like potato chips: you can't stop at one.

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I am one of those writers (or should it be those writers) who sometimes do have problems getting to the keyboard. It has nothing to do with anything other than sometimes my lack of self-confidence gets the better of me.

I have recently run up on a suggestion that echos what Shadow_Ferret suggested. It is related to mini-habits. Many people can't just sit down and make something a habit from the get go. Our brains will do everything they can do distract us from doing something, so we have to train it to be still and let us do the habit.

The suggestion stated starting off with mini habits. Take whatever you want to do (exercise, crochet, fold laundry, clean, write...whatever) and just do one thing. Let that be the goal for the day. Do one push up. Crochet one round. Fold one towel. Clean one bathroom mirror. Write one sentence.

Once it's completed, it's done. You have done what you set out to do for the day. Except...sometimes your brain doesn't let go so after doing that one push up, you decide to do five crunches, crochet the round and start the next sequence, fold all the towels AND sort the socks, clean the mirror AND empty the bathroom trash, write another sentence/paragraph/page.

It's great that some people have already established their habits and they're fully integrated into their lives. It's great that some writers are able to override their procrastinative (IS TOO A WORD! I just made it up!) tendencies easily. The rest of us need the extra help to set something into a habitual pattern.

Shaming and guilting them never works. It just makes them feel worse about themselves rather than helping to establish the foundation to build on.

Lillith1991 said:

Thing is, writers write. They make time in their busy lives to write, instead of just thinking of writing. That is what separates writers from those who "want to write a book," the motivation to do so. Tips and tricks help a lot, but motivation is key. Even the best tips don't force someone who has no interest in telling a story in this particular way to write the story down.

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Yeahbut, sometimes it has nothing to do with no interest but in lack of confidence. It has to do with really being unsure what to do next. Sometimes they are stuck on where to go, how to start.

Everyone knows writers write. We all know that. It's known. No one has ever disputed this.

But it's not always as 'all you gotta do is'. Sometimes, the sticking point really is a stubby part that the writer doesn't know what to do next and lacks the confidence to try to do it, so they lose enthusiasm, not because writing is hard, but because they're stuck and they don't know where to turn next.

So they come on a writing board and are told they are lazy losers because the fire of their enthusiasm clearly isn't devoted enough to put their ass in the chair and JUST DO IT!

bearilou said:

Yeahbut, sometimes it has nothing to do with no interest but in lack of confidence. It has to do with really being unsure what to do next. Sometimes they are stuck on where to go, how to start.

Everyone knows writers write. We all know that. It's known. No one has ever disputed this.

But it's not always as 'all you gotta do is'. Sometimes, the sticking point really is a stubby part that the writer doesn't know what to do next and lacks the confidence to try to do it, so they lose enthusiasm, not because writing is hard, but because they're stuck and they don't know where to turn next.

So they come on a writing board and are told they are lazy losers because the fire of their enthusiasm clearly isn't devoted enough to put their ass in the chair and JUST DO IT!

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I agree, which is why I said I felt James was being too too harsh. But it does comes down to kicking the behinds of our personal writing demons, or making the time to write for me personally. I've had points in stories where I didn't know what happened next or felt that what I had planned was stupid. I would relax for a short time, then tackle my mini mountain. Once that was done, I would feel better, and the next scene or chapter would be easier.

Some days it takes foever for me to start writing for one reason or another, and some days I don't at all. No one can fix when its lack of confidence that keeps me from writing but myself. I have to believe in my work even if no one else does, and that's why I always return to writing even when frstrated or lacking confidence at the moment. I believe in my work ultimately, even if I think a scene/chapter/plot point is utter crap.

Lillith1991 said:

Some days it takes foever for me to start writing for one reason or another, and some days I don't at all. No one can fix when its lack of confidence that keeps me from writing but myself. I have to believe in my work even if no one else does, and that's why I always return to writing even when frstrated or lacking confidence at the moment. I believe in my work ultimately, even if I think a scene/chapter/plot point is utter crap.

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*flails with you in agreement* I won't deny that sometimes all I really need is a swift kick in the booty and a harsh 'don't overthink this'. I've been writing long enough now to know what motivates me and what doesn't.

I have a bag of tricks that will get me to the keyboard because that's my biggest resistance.

I'm just taking issue with the proclamations of 'you're not a real writer if you don't just love coming to the keyboard every day without any resistance'.

Just as we are all different writers and we write differently and outline (or not outline) differently, and approach problems differently, we are all different in how we managed to get ourselves to the keyboard to write. It's disturbing when judgments are made about someone's dedication just because they aren't coming to the keyboard in the same way or with the same degree of desire/need/attitude/energy/time/focus.

Devil Ledbetter said:

Because it makes people feel More Writerly Than Thou.

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I get the feeling this is the sole purpose driving a few of the posts here.

Anyway, I couldn't post the link here last night because I was on my phone, but here is Jonathan Stroud describing his typical working day. I'm going to highlight specifically...

"Various delaying tactics, including emails, cups of tea, scratching chin, staring slack-jawed out of window etc."

"Erase 15th attempt at first line of the day and go for cup of tea."

And, most importantly...

"Biorhythms perk up. Hooray. Writing gets easier again. Hopefully homing in on the TARGET for day, which is 5 pages. Depending on current zest, will either (a) shoot past target contemptuously, heading for promised land of 6-7 pages, or (b) totter to the bottom of page 5, print it out without looking and run from the building. Other times won’t even make it that far."

Fwiw, I read somewhere that his last book was auctioned at 7-figures, but since he needs stupid tricks like daily targets, does crazy shit like procrastinate, and sometimes has bad days where he hates his own writing, someone should tell him he's not a real writer. He's only enamored with the idea of being one.

Look, no one is telling people NOT to write. I don't see anyone here saying, "Ooohhh, the sekrit to being a writer? Don't write." Of course writers write. BUT there are many different ways of approaching it. Some writers can sit down and just pound out words on the keyboard with the consistency of a well-oiled machine. Others need a bit of help getting to that stage. That's what the tips and tricks are there for, to help them nudge themselves into being more productive. Really, I don't think that makes anyone any less of a writer.

I suppose the bottom line here is that we are all different (Monty Pythonesque voice in the background yells "I'm not").

We lead different lives, we have different temperaments, have different working styles, marital arrangements, physical and social needs. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another.

This means that there is more than one wrong way to do this, and equally more than one right way. All we can do is to offer our own experiences in case they resonate for someone - "I tried X and it worked for me."

But not ... "the only way to do this is X and you're not a true writer if you don't do it that way."

There are enough challenges in this crazy wonderful business of ours that we don't need to add any more unnecessary guilt about only one way to put butt in chair and write.