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You Don’t Have to Write Every Day
This common writing rule is meant to be broken.
Butt in chair, they say. That’s what makes you a writer.
Write every day, they say. That’s what makes you a writer.
Put the words on the page, no matter what, they say. And if you don’t? You’re not a writer.
I’m here to respectfully disagree.
In his oft-quoted craft book On Writing, Stephen King said “Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you’re going to be from nine til noon or seven til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he’ll start showing up, chomping his cigar, and making his magic.” And while I agree that there is something to be said for consistency, your muse will show up whether you are sitting at your desk or not.
In fact, my muse (who is decidedly not chomping a cigar at any time) most often shows up when I am not sitting in front of my computer screen. She shows up when I’m driving, when I’m in the shower, when I’m walking or folding laundry or chasing my kids around the yard. That is to say, my muse loves to show up when I’m not thinking about writing at all.
And whenever she shows up, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I count that as writing time. Taking a walk and the ideas start flowing? Productive…
