Do you think a writer should write every day? Even when there is something really important going on, like a "Sex and the City" marathon on HBO , or the refrigerator needs cleaning?
I think it's vital to write *almost* every day. Taking a day or two per week off is fine, and possibly necessary for most folks so they can recharge the creative batteries. But you must write most days, I think, in order to stay in practice.
I write every day for about ten or twelve days, and then have a couple of days of non-writing. I don't let myself get distracted by stuff, though, and use that as an excuse not to write. I plan non-writing days a few days in advance. On a writing day, I can still do things like clean the fridge and watch Bullshit (which I prefer over Sex And The City, thankyouverymuch.) But I have to get my writing in first, or once I'm done.
Discipline makes talent.
My blog has helped a bit. People email and ask where I am if there is more than a 2 or 3 day absence. It's an odd feeling to have people asking for more - at once both gratifying and suffocating.
But how critical do you consider daily keyboard (or pen and paper) time?
You're not a writer if you don't write. Sorry, but you can't call yourself one if you're not actually
doing. Personally, I don't consider fifteen minutes enough time to really get into the flow and produce something worthwhile, but you could certainly be different from me. (It's been known to happen before, that others are different from me.
)
And personally, I do not consider blogging to be writing time. For me, as a fiction writer, writing time = working on
fiction for a minimum of 2000 words. Sometimes I hit 2000 words in about half an hour; usually it takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Sometimes I'm on a roll and I get up to 5000 words or more during a single writing session.
I work full-time at a physically demanding job, often walking to and/or from work (it's an hour-and-a-half walk), and I'm married with pets and a home to care for. It's very easy to find excuses to
not write. I'm often extremely tired after a day at work. But I don't have a right to call myself a writer if I am not writing on a near-daily basis. So I make the time for it. I do what it takes. It's allowed me to get 90,000-plus words down in about eleven weeks, in spite of my busy life and my demanding career.
So ask yourself: Do you want to have a spotless fridge and watch a TV show, or do you want to feel legitimate when you tell people you're a writer?
Edited to clarify: I think it's important to write frequently and to write seriously (i.e. more than 15 minutes, if you can't get into a good flow in so short a time, as most folks can't) because it's practice. You develop skills by practicing them. You can't become good at something if you don't put the time in. I know painters who paint every day. I know musicians who practice every day. I know fiber artists who spin and dye every day. I know carpenters who build gorgeous furniture every day. Or nearly every day, anyway. Like any other craft or art, if you don't work at it with regularity and focus, you're not going to go far.