Write everyday - definitely, but not necessarily to a specific goal...

Lady Fox · May 31, 2018

I think writing everyday is a must if you want to be a writer, especially with novel writing. However (and this is my experience only so take it with a pinch of salt) I believe setting a goal can be counter-productive, for me anyway. If I sit at the computer, or with pen in hand thinking that I must write a minimum of 1000 words then you can bet your ass I'll get nowhere near that target, then I'll become stressed, unable to focus and feel like a failure (maybe not to those extremes but you get my meaning). If I sit down and think 'I'll write something, even it's only a few sentences, after all, something is better than nothing and every word counts' then I'm much more likely to write considerably more than a few sentences - sometimes not, but that's okay, the story is still further along than it was yesterday. The important thing is to keep yourself immersed in the story - a break, however short, can disrupt the flow and you spend more time re-reading to get yourself back into the mindset of the character than you do writing.

But again, this is only what works for me.

DanielSTJ · May 31, 2018

Great advice.

It's important to keep immersed in the story-- whatever it takes to get there is dependent on the person.

Nice.

R.A. Lundberg · Jun 2, 2018

Don't focus on the end product-focus on the process. If you're thinking "Oh, I must write X number of words today or I'm failing", then you're not focusing on your story. What you are focusing on is word count, productivity, a job. First draft manuscript is the best part of writing. It's where you get to play in the world that you are creating. Just sit down, crank up the creative engine, and let it run. If you only get 500 words, eh, that's all the engine put out today. If you get 1000, and the engine is sputtering, then it's OK to shut down. If it's still firing on all sixes, then let it keep running. There's a time for word counting, but it's not in first draft, it's in rewrite.
You know, if you're getting bogged down looking at this as a job, a chore to accomplish every day, you're missing the fun. This is a creative pursuit. Ever hear a successful -I mean really successful- fiction author say they write for the money? Nope. They write because they love it, the idea of creating a world, peopling it with characters, and telling their story. That's the process. Focus on the process. Leave the word count for second draft/rewrite.

cornflake · Jun 2, 2018

R.A. Lundberg said:
Don't focus on the end product-focus on the process. If you're thinking "Oh, I must write X number of words today or I'm failing", then you're not focusing on your story. What you are focusing on is word count, productivity, a job. First draft manuscript is the best part of writing. It's where you get to play in the world that you are creating. Just sit down, crank up the creative engine, and let it run. If you only get 500 words, eh, that's all the engine put out today. If you get 1000, and the engine is sputtering, then it's OK to shut down. If it's still firing on all sixes, then let it keep running. There's a time for word counting, but it's not in first draft, it's in rewrite.
You know, if you're getting bogged down looking at this as a job, a chore to accomplish every day, you're missing the fun. This is a creative pursuit. Ever hear a successful -I mean really successful- fiction author say they write for the money? Nope. They write because they love it, the idea of creating a world, peopling it with characters, and telling their story. That's the process. Focus on the process. Leave the word count for second draft/rewrite.

For some people, writing is a job.

If it doesn't work for you to focus on wordcounts, that's fine, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who do get stuck if they don't meet wc goals and will work better without them.

However, plenty of people need hard goals and deadlines to be able to produce stuff, and if writing is your job, you may need to work within deadlines and with wordcount goals that have to be met.

Lots of successful writers write when the muse moves them; lots of successful writers sit down at their desks at 9am and don't get up until there are 5000 words written.

Whatever works.

screenscope · Jun 2, 2018

I write once or twice a week at most, and don't give any importance to a word count, so I don't agree that writing every day is a must. I would like to have more time to write, but I don't sweat it and the writing gets done.

However, I do spend a short amount of time almost every day thinking about my WIP, editing what I 'see' and making mental notes, so my actual writing sessions tend to be efficient and productive.

The only important thing, IMO, is to find what works best for yourself, because no two writers are alike when it comes to method and execution.

Lady Fox · Jun 2, 2018

screenscope said:
The only important thing, IMO, is to find what works best for yourself, because no two writers are alike when it comes to method and execution.

Absolutely. I've tried many methods over the last few years, even talking into a Dictaphone on the commute home from work. It's just trial and error, there is no right or wrong way to write and even though I said in my original post that writing SOMETHING every day is important (for me) - and I still stand by that statement - sometimes I find it better to step back for a couple of days to recharge the creative batteries.

Mary P. Bray · Jun 3, 2018

It seems to me, it is more easily to scroll а story a number of times in my head and then write down

Keithy · Jun 4, 2018

I have at least 2 "dud" days in which I write nothing, so it's impossible for me to have daily targets. I usually have 2 productive days per week and the rest are bits and pieces, whatever I can manage.

Write everyday - definitely, but not necessarily to a specific goal...

Lady Fox

DanielSTJ

The Wandering Bard

R.A. Lundberg

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

screenscope

Lady Fox

Mary P. Bray

Keithy

Just keep swimming