We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle
“How much do you write a day?” I get asked often at writer’s conferences and booksignings.
“Do you want to know how much I type or how much I think–because writing is thinking,” I usually answer. And that’s true, but I’m a bit convicted by that question. Writing and creativity coaches such as Dr. Eric Maisel and Carolyn See recommend the thousand words a day rule. That’s four double-spaced pages. First thing in the morning is often suggested–before life takes us down the river and dumps us out that evening, exhausted and blurry-eyed from our too-busy days.
I write all day. I write emails. I write blogs. I spit-polish an article. But do I work on my novel(s), short stories, or creative nonfiction every day? I don’t type/work on them every day, no. And there is my conviction. Writing is a muscle. It gets stronger and more supple with consistent use.
Don’t feel like it? Have nothing new to add? Stuck? Avoiding?
Flannery O’Connor said that she showed up for the page every day at 9am sharp–whether inspiration showed up or not (obviously paraphrased).
Big-time writers–seriel writers–they have publishers waiting, contracts signed. They rise early and hit the page hard. It’s a job for them. Most creative types don’t like to connect the word “job” to art, as if that takes away the holiness/whole-ness of creativity, but perhaps we’ve gone too purist for our own good.
If I consider writing my chosen profession, my career, daresay my calling, then I would get up and get dressed and get busy–because of a paycheck and/or the belief that someone needed what I had to say. I press the alarm clock at 6:30 each morning and watch my engineer husband dress by bathroom light. He’s an engineer. He gets up and goes to work. Feeling like it isn’t a daily consideration.
I have to admit I’ve been kind of a binger when it comes to writing. When I’m really working on a novel I’m stuffing my face/my thoughts/my day, and I’m pulling 12-15 hour days on a novel revision. Yes, at times, that’s needed, but it’s time to get back to the daily-ness of taking my writing to the next level.
It’s not that I don’t write–often–it’s that I’ve been using my thinking excuse a bit too much. Thinking is writing, that is true, but typing is writing applied. I can think about cooking all day, but I can’t eat thinking come dinnertime. Same-same.
So, it’s time to recommit–again.
I kiss my engineer hubby goodbye and I settle in–first thing. Not to email. Not to blog.
To write. A thousand words.
Risk Play Create, My Search for Authenticity 
Great blog! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent post Aunt Carol, the days fly by and the worries and tribulations of our daily lives drag on motivation to write a few more lines of code or work on one of several stories i’ve been trying to get onto paper for the last few years.
I didn’t know you liked to write! What do you write?
I so understand how the everyday-ness of our lives and habits keep us from our dreams–but we have to somehow get up early/stay up late/grab a few minutes at lunch or any time we can–as an act of defiance.
The good thing about writing is that it’s portable. Most of it takes place between our ears:)
Thanks for reading,
~Carol
I had 2800 double spaced pages of a novel trillogy I was working on, lost everything to a hard drive failure in 97-98, even had seagate try and recover them to no avail. For many years I just didnt write since then as I felt I couldnt put it on paper again as well as I did the first time. But I have started writing out timelines and patching together important conversations again, its much slower now than it was then. Between work, school, running my own startup its been tough. However I love your drive to do at least 1000 words a day, and I am going to try and do something similar, though maybe not 1000 words. Possibly get through one conversation, one scene each day. Its important to just continue to move forward.
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It’s really hard to know when you need to be your own taskmaster and when you need to back off and go with a more instinctual approach. Some writing/creativity coaches suggest approaching art like a job–you show up every day. Yeah, some days you’re not worth much and other days you burn right through in a creative blitz. I’m coming to realize that for me, showing up is the most important part. I might not type 1,000 words, but typing isn’t writing. Writing is thinking. Writing can even be walking, navel gazing, driving. I have learned that it’s important that I carve a routine and I’m “at my desk” at a regular time most days–the ole’ butt to chair.