Hi all! Today, I welcome Cher to my blog. She’s one of the awesome people sponsoring prizes for this month’s Paying Forward Awards. Thanks again for stopping by!
Thank you, Misha, for allowing me to write for your blog and share my thoughts with your wonderful readers.
One of the best bits of advice I’ve received as a writer is to write every day, following through with this is another story entirely.
Over the years, I’ve tried my best to write every day. It may last for a while, but it never fails eventually I falter and it takes a while to get back into the rhythm once again. It’s so easy to simply say, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” or “I’ll start again next week.” The problem is once you leave the routine for too long, it’s hard to get back to writing every day, especially if it was a difficult fit in the first place.
Once you begin understanding what it means to write every day, you can relieve most of the pressure. Some of the questioning issues I’ve run into have been:
- What type of writing can be contributed to my status of writing every day? Does my blog count?
- If I’m in the editing mode of a novel, does that count as my writing for the day?
- How long do I need to write?
With just these questions, one can find themselves lost, confused, and deflated. I’m sure there are many more questions to be pondered. And multiple answers to go with them all. Do I have the answers for you? No, but I can give you my answers which may help clear some of the stress you might be feeling.
I’ve found on most occasions any writing can count toward your daily status. But, you must be very careful with this. If you blog every day, and you put this toward your status, trust me, you’ll skip on the creative writing more than once. The same goes for journal writing. I’m not saying not to do either of these daily, especially the journaling, which is extremely helpful to clear away some of the cobwebs produced by stress. Just consider these activities outside of your daily writing.
Editing mode should be considered part of your daily status. You may not be actually writing, but you are putting time in on a project and making progress. The only way around this is if you are working on multiple projects, and have time for both, an editing session and a writing session. But not all writers have multiple projects in play. In the end, if you are putting time into your work, making forward progress, then you’ve written for the day.
Another mode I like to include is pondering sessions. If you are thinking about your story and getting somewhere inside your head, well that’s writing isn’t it? You’re working, even if it doesn’t make it onto the page, even if the results are jottings on a napkin. Trust me. You are making progress with this simple task.
Now for the million dollar question, how long do you need to write?
This is the trickiest issue, but the simple answer would be as long as you can. If you have the sort of life where you can write for two hours per day, I’m jealous, I really am. If you are working a full-time job, have kids at home, you will need to work hard for your time, but it can be done. I’ve heard of many writers accomplishing their dream in the midst of chaos.
But, if your time limit is scarce on most days, try short sessions, ten to fifteen minutes per day. The progress will be slower, but you’ll be surprised by how much you can actually accomplish in this short period. And, when you have an hour available, you will already be geared toward the story. You can get some writing done, instead of using the first thirty minutes to get back in line with the story.
The most important part is to keep you creative muscles in shape. Daily writing, whether it’s a project or a free flow session, will keep your brain active and your muse from abandoning you.
And, don’t forget to read. Another bit of good advice. Writers evolve with each word they write, and they grow with each word they read. There’s no way around either of these. To be a writer, you must read and write.
Do you write every day? What are your answers to some of the questions mentions? Do you have other questions which bother you dealing with this topic? Have you received a piece of advice that you’ve found invaluable?
About the Author
Cher Green writes in many genres, spanning from horror to romance. Her work has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. She has also authored two paranormal romance novellas, Escape to Love and Seduced by Darkness. For more information on this author visit: www.chergreen.com
Her latest publication, The Sacrifice, a children picture book, released early last week and is available for purchase at eTreasuresPublications.
Blurb
Angelina must travel to the castle to protect her sister, who is marrying the king of the land. But who will protect Angelina on her journey when she encounters a troll and other unexpected obstacles? Luckily, she carries her precious and powerful medallion. She will need it, for even after she reaches the castle, all is not as it seems.
The Sacrifice is a fairytale-like story of a young woman’s journey to save her sister.
The Five Year Project 