How often should I write?

I see this question pop up frequently online. Writers wondering how much they should be writing and how often. How many words is good for one day? What kind of a writing schedule should I keep? And a million other variations.

I get it. We all wish we could write every day. That’s the dream, right? And if we want to make a living at this crazy endeavor, then surely it means writing copious amounts of words every single day.

Well, I don’t think this is true. And I think it contributes to a lot of burn out, failed attempts, and the perception that anyone who doesn’t write every day isn’t a “real” writer.

The correct answer to, “How often should I write?” is of course, “Whenever you can.” And the correct answer to, “How many words is good for one day of work?” is of course, “Whatever you can come up with.”

Thanks to social media, it’s easier than ever to peer into the working lives of other authors. Unfortunately, that invites a lot of comparison, which is, as they say, the thief of joy. And without joy, we can’t produce art.

If you can only write on Mondays and Thursdays, that’s fine! If you can only write on weekends, that’s also fine! If you can only write twenty minutes a day during lunch, that’s a-okay. If you write five thousand words on Friday and fifty words on Saturday, that’s great.

If your tank is only 40% full and you use all 40%, then you gave 100% of what you had that day. There’s no shame in that kind of effort.

Where people get in trouble is when they put unreasonable expectations on themselves. “I’m going to write every single day, from 4:00-6:00.” That sounds great. That’s a laudable goal. But, as the saying goes, shit happens. It’s Murphy’s Law. Eventually, something will make you miss a day. And then another. And so on and so on, until it seems impossible to keep your schedule, and suddenly the whole writing thing looks less doable.

There’s a part of me that believes creativity doesn’t respond well to the kind of rigid structure that kind of scheduling brings. A lot of our best ideas and words come to us when our minds are wandering, like when we’re in the shower or stuck in traffic. Sometimes you just have to work around when your mind wants to spit out words.

There’s another part of me that feels like it’s impossible to be “on” every single day. Even pro athletes get rest and recovery days. I think the same should be true of artists.

Remember that bit about comparing ourselves to other writers I mentioned a few paragraphs ago? Writing isn’t a competition. It’s not a zero sum game. Readers are always on the hunt for the next book. Everyone has different strengths and opportunities.

Stephen King has published sixty five books over a forty year period. Harper Lee published two books fifty five years apart. Surely there’s room for everyone between those two ends of the spectrum.