Write Every Day: Write in 10 Easy Steps, #3

Introduction

Many writing gurus and successful authors emphasise how important it is to write every day. But why is it so important? Should every writer do it?

I certainly think so. But let me explain why.

Why write every day?

If you want to be a writer—to make writing your profession—writing something every day is essential. It is, after all, what a writer does: he or she writes. I assume, since you are here, that you are a writer or have the ambition to become one.

Whether you want to write a journal, a blog, an autobiography, a novel, or a non-fiction title, you need to commit to putting down some words at some point. Writing every day makes the process of achieving the desired word count easier.

Writing every day means that you can publish more books in less time, which will make it easier for you to make a living from your writing. I will discuss the financial side of writing in the next chapter.

Writing is a craft, just like woodworking. The more you practise the craft, the better at it you will become. When you commit to writing every day, you will notice that your writing becomes faster, easier and more polished. (Well, up to a point.)

Writing every day will also feed your creativity. We often believe that creativity is a finite well: if we dip into it too often, it will run dry. In my experience, the exact opposite is true: the more we write, the more infinite the well becomes. There are limitations to this theory, of course. Like everything in life, you mustn't overdo it. In Chapter 10, I discuss how you also need to take care of yourself to guard against burnout.

The modern writer has an exciting new ally in this daily practice: artificial intelligence. AI writing assistants can serve as your creative partner, helping generate ideas when you're stuck, suggesting plot twists when your story feels predictable, or even helping you explore character motivations you hadn't considered. Think of AI not as a replacement for your creativity, but as a sophisticated brainstorming partner that's available 24/7. When you combine the discipline of writing every day with the endless idea-generation capabilities of AI, you create a powerful system for sustained creativity.

In this book, I will explore in detail why writing every day makes you a better writer, but I will also cover the difficulties authors face, such as the dreaded writer's block, and how to overcome them. Furthermore, I will show you tips and tricks on how to motivate yourself to write every day. I will also tell you how my writing career eventually led me to a daily writing routine, and with that, to publishing success.

Become a writer

If you wish to make your career as a writer, you need to sell enough books to support your lifestyle. It's well known that if a reader falls in love with a book, they want to read more of that author's work. Without being a mathematician or a marketing guru, it's clear that the more (good) books you publish, the more sales you get each day.

I found this to be true when I began my blog series back in 2009 and published my first novel in 2012. I just wish I'd taken heed of the 'Write Every Day' ethos back then and produced the subsequent novels much sooner than I did! This is the reason I want to share my own experiences, including the mistakes, of establishing a sustainable writing routine that leads to success. Writing every day enables you to produce books as quickly as possible.

That's it.

That's the long and short of it.

It's ultimately your decision. Do you want to be a successful writer?

My story

I began taking writing seriously when I enrolled on an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. After my elation at being accepted on the course, I realised that I would now have to start writing regularly. Go figure! I had already completed a novel, but it had taken me years. Fair enough, I had young children at home, as well as a full-time job, so writing time came at a premium.

My writing routine consisted of bursts of activity. I might have a run of two or three weeks when I'd write more or less regularly. Alternatively, I'd write every day for a week or so. But this method had its pitfalls: every time I'd sit at my desk in front of my computer, I'd have to reread almost the entire manuscript, just to get into the story again. And then I'd begin editing instead of writing. Of course, editing is also writing, but when you are in the first draft stage, this can be fatal to both your productivity and creativity. If you had allocated, say, two hours to writing new text, editing what you've already written can swallow up the whole of that time. At this stage, reading and editing can also crush your creativity. I'm not saying that your first draft is never brilliant, but it is a first draft, something you will go back to and modify later. Seeing your 'mistakes' from previous writing sessions before you start a new one can be depressing and make you question whether you can write.

I will explore my techniques for getting fresh, new words down every day later on in this book. But first, let's go back to my own experience. I didn't learn the magic of writing every day until many, many years after the exciting