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I’d rather write than talk. Nobody interrupts! Posting monthly or less now--see below. |
My original purpose for this blog, which I started in August of 2019, was to see if I could maintain consistency, to discover what I want to write about, and to find my writing voice. In January, I started a "niche-less" blog at Wordpress.com where I've published weekly. -- Kit’s Kontemplations  . -- I'm preparing to start a Catholic blog on Wordpress.com where I'll post weekly, and another site to put the rest of my writing. I also want to spend more time reading other blogs and offering thoughtful comments, both here on WDC and elsewhere. At most, I will publish once a month at no set time in this blog starting in September of 2020. Thank you to those who have read and rated any posts on this blog. I really appreciate it. I did NOT want to write “about” me on this blog. I wanted to share my interests, discoveries and maybe a few useful insights. If anything I've written helps even one person, whether or not they respond to the post, then this blog has been successful. |
| When we’re learning a new skill, insecurity compels us to seek “expert” advice. From the abundance of free advice online there are three categories in which any one counsel or admonition will fall: 1. It is absolutely essential for everyone who expects to succeed to follow it 2. It is either extremely useful or seriously detrimental depending on various factors that the advisor has no clue about 3. It is offered by those with neither knowledge nor experience and therefore is universally useless. The advice: “Real writers write every day without exception” falls into the second category. I have mixed feelings about it. I can see the value in at least doing something related to writing daily. When I don’t write for a couple of days, I feel a loss of momentum and I struggle to get back to it. Yet, I find quite a few problems with this advice. Some insist that you write a certain number of words each day and others suggest writing for a specific amount of time. I would never give this advice to an aspiring writer. What counts as “writing”? Does it have to be completely new, a first draft of something? I have no specific project and no idea what I should write about most days. Does research or preparing an outline or editing a previous draft count? I’ve not seen any post advising daily writing that addresses these questions. My time is far too valuable to waste writing garbage just for the sake of meeting some arbitrary word count or time limit. I’d use my time more effectively by reading a book or blog post about writing or by working on an online writing or grammar course. Who gets to define a “real” writer? There’s no professional body that exists to accredit, license or discipline writers as there is for doctors. Therefore, in a sense, there is no such thing as “professional” writers. Is it an issue of being paid to write? If so, how much and how often must you be paid to qualify as a “real” writer? Do you have to quit your day job and support yourself solely on your income from writing? What about a writer who didn’t make enough to quit his day job until his novel was turned into a movie? Wasn’t he a writer before then? Becoming a Real Writer: What’s a Real Writer? Why does my creative process need to be defined by someone else? Depending on our obligations and life’s demands, there will be days where there is neither time nor energy to write and other days where we have both. A daily writing routine is challenging to maintain for some of us and impossible for others. Depending on our temperament and how we function, some of us can write in short bursts of 5 minutes here and there and others need a block of at least 20 minutes to settle into a creative inner space to get any writing done. Unless I’m particularly inspired, I need to be in a separate room and uninterrupted for at least 20-30 minutes. What’s the point in setting myself up to fail? If I resolve to write every day for 15 minutes or to write 200 words, I might do it for 2 weeks. Or it’s more likely that I’d only do it for two days. Then I’ll have “programmed” my brain to believe that writing every day is not useful. I may come to believe after multiple attempts that I should give up writing altogether. If you’re not a full time writer (like King and Lamott), this is terrible advice. This strategy will, in fact, reduce the probability that you finish your writing project. ... In my experience as a writer with a day job, I’ve found it’s crucial to avoid rigid writing schedules. I don’t want to provide my brain any examples of a strategy related to my writing that’s failing. ... The point is that I commit to plans that I know can succeed, and by doing so, I keep my brain’s motivation centers on board with the project. ... To leverage the psychology of your brain, you need to instead choose clear goals that you clearly know how to accomplish, and then approach scheduling with flexibility. Be aggressive, but remain grounded in the reality of your schedule. If your mind thinks you have a good goal and sees your short terms plans are working, it will keep you motivated toward completion. Cal NewportHow useful is it to force yourself to write every day? Obviously you may have to do this if you have a contract deadline to meet. This is highly unlikely for new aspiring writers. I’ve entered a few contests so I’ve written to a deadline but I don’t know if I’d want that kind of pressure on a regular basis. Once my confidence significantly increases, I may consider freelance writing. I likely would then have to write on more days than I do now and for more hours on those days. I still would not write every day. If I was able to get any freelance clients at all, I certainly wouldn’t wonder whether or not I was a “real” writer! Are you a “real writer? Hint: the answer is YES! You don’t have to write every day to be a “real” writer. You just have to write consistently. If you’re able to write every day, then do it. A mechanic is no less a mechanic by working three days a week. During this pandemic, he’s likely not working at all. I sure wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him he is no longer a mechanic! Writing is important to me but it is not the only thing in my life. It’s probably not the only thing in your life either. If you’re blogging in any serious ways, you’ve got plenty of writing-related tasks. Even without that, you have other things in your life that matter. On some days, these other things will matter more to you than writing. You’re still a “real” writer. Sources: {x-link:http://sevenscribes.com/writing-begins-with-forgiveness-why-one-of-the-most-common-pieces-of-writing-advice-is-wrong/}Writing Begins With Forgiveness: Why One of the Most Common Pieces of Writing Advice Is Wrong {x-link:https://www.well-storied.com/blog/is-a-daily-writing-routine-right-for-you}Is a Daily Writing Routine Right for You?{/x-lnk} “Write Every Day” is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects {x-link:https://nathanieltower.com/should-you-write-every-day-a-close-look-at-the-oldest-piece-of-writing-advice/}Should You Write Every Day? A Close Look at the Oldest Piece of Writing Advice |
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Yes, I know some people do that but I'm a creative writer not a journalist. Poetry sells ... but it's a money-maker for only a few. I write A LOT. Almost 180 pieces since Spring equinox. My goal is 300-400 per year. One year I went over 1,000. I need to do more editing, polishing, sharing, submitting. Writer's block? Who has time for that? I don't.