Don’t Write Every Day

Never Off Duty? Screw That!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I tried to write a poem yesterday, and I just couldn’t. I’ve written so many poems lately, I felt like I was on a roll. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t find words.

So much writing advice says if you’re not writing every day, you’re failing somehow. You’re not a “real” writer. Whatever the hell that is.

If you’re serious about writing, you’re supposed to treat it like a job. Do you know who goes to work every single day? Workaholics, people who burn the candle at both ends, who are definitely going to burn out. Screw that.

Don’t write every day. Don’t do it. Put that pen down, step away from the keyboard, and go do something else. Anything else. Go outside. Read a book for fun: no, not a Serious™ book, a fun book. Play with your kids or pets, or both. Watch TV. Go for a walk. Live life.

You are not a robot or a machine in an assembly line. You are a writer. Your imagination is your most crucial tool, and if you keep using it without refilling the tank you will run out of stuff to write. How do you refill the tank? Take a break. Go outside. Read a book. Watch TV. Live life.

If you get into the habit of writing every day because you think that’s what you have to do, guess what’s gonna happen when life gets in the way and…