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There is so much advice for writers out there, it can be hard to decide what an individual should listen to.
I'm a knowledge sponge and soak it up whenever I can. To that end, I've read countless books on writing as well as listening to all kinds of audio series, videos and live lectures on how I should write. I also now have four books so I have a little experience in writing and have settled into my own routine.
One of the big recommendations from many pros is to write something every day on your novel/work in progress. Even if it is just a few hundred words. Or if you can write 1000 words a day, you'll have a novel finished in a few months. I've struggled with this before. I tried it and just failed and ended up feeling guilty because I hadn't written anything on the latest book.
I find I'm more like a binge writer. I like to let the urge build up and then I schedule time to let it all out onto the page. I also have a day job and cannot be creative after a full days work so my best writing day is at the weekend when I can immerse myself into the writing process. I know Stephen King wrote every day when he had a day job but most pros don't have that to worry about anymore – but they all started like us so there's no excuse. It's just how we can shape our lives to fit in the writing. I want to write fast, I want to be prolific but right now, binge writing suits my lifestyle.
I'm currently planning my next novel, Prophecy. I'm in composting phase which means I'm gathering ideas, writing mind maps with initial thoughts, reading books around the topic and then letting my brain create new ideas from this raw material. I'm not writing anything on it at all. But I am writing blog posts, doing interviews and writing other things – just not my next book.
I need at least a month of composting before I want to write. Some of the scenes are starting to emerge already but this time around I will be outlining more thoroughly anyway. I'll start writing when the urge gets overwhelming. Then I will have the first draft binge writing phase. I'll get up at 5am and write before work and will write every weekend. I'll be aiming for 5000-8000 words per week. The blog, podcast and other things will go on the backburner. So I can happily oscillate from one extreme to another.
On this topic and writing fast, have a listen to this round-table with Dan Sawyer, Mur Lafferty, Gail Carriger and Nathan Lowell. Gail writes 2000 words per day, no excuses. Nathan is a binge writer who doesn't write for months and then can write 10,000 – 20,000 words a day.
How about you? Do you write every day or are you a binge writer?
Image: Flickr CC Parker from DigitalNative
mistydahl says
I think I’m a little of both. I learned a lot from participating in NaNoWriMo and writing novels in 30 days and generally I do write most days. Sometimes I don’t though. Dry periods of listening to the critic that says, Your can’t write, your story stinks and in fact you stink Misty.” I sit around feeling sorry for myself but then I go out and live in the world a bit. Next thing you know I’m itching to write it all down. Can’t keep it locked up. I guess I go mad without writing and really I feel most alive when I’m connected to the ” creative pen.”;)
Joanna Penn says
I love to wait until I feel like I’m going to explode unless I write and then I get it all out at once!
Joanna Penn says
Some comments from twitter
@thedum “I set deadlines and the bingewrite as time runs out! sometimes I write every other day”
@Kennecto “I like writing a little every day.”
@NakiaRL “I’m a binge writer. Hangs head low in shame. I get in this weird zone and eat all the words!”
@FaruKazi “I was trying to write everyday but does not happen if the schedule goes for a toss, when the mood is bad, etc.”
@JamesStratford “If you’re on roll, keep rolling. If not, keep the pen working somehow. Discipline and creativity can be great friends!”
Adam Wozniak says
Great article, Joanna.
Great timing too. Just this last week I’ve been pondering this very dilemma and trying to figure out what approach works best for me.
I came across an article recently that, although geared towards academic writing, suggested an approach that I thought I’d try this week for my creative writing.
Basically, the article suggests you write for 90 minutes a day, no matter how busy you are. If some days get really crazy, promise yourself to write for AT LEAST 15 minutes on those days.
Here’s the article: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/pages/cstudents/dean/break-writing/break-1.html
Of course, 90 minutes seems like a lot of time to try and squeeze in between other things on a day-to-day basis, so I’ve combined it with that other classic approach – getting up extra early every morning (eeepp!).
So now I get up extra early, jump straight out of bed and hit the keyboard. No breakfast. No shower. No exercise. No internet. No distractions. Just 90 minutes of writing first, then I can start my day properly, with the satisfaction that I’ve already achieved something worthwhile before most people start their workday.
That’s the theory anyway…
Of course, it’s still early days. I might still end up resorting to binge writing, but there’s something about writing every day that is very satisfying and makes me really want to give it a solid go.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Adam. I definitely spend at least an hour a day writing but on blog posts or other things. I guess I mean creative writing re a book or other large project. The 90 minutes idea is a good one though, and I use that during the binge phase – like you, I get up early and write BEFORE email! Thanks.
Fiona says
Hi Joanna,
Thanks for a great article – it made me feel ‘normal’. I am definitely a binge writer. I write on my blog most days but my novel is definitely a ‘binge’ project.
I’ll write regularly for a few days and then take a break until I know that I just have to sit down and let it all spill out.
Thanks for providing so much inspiration
Cheers, Fi
J. Daniel Sawyer says
Hi Joanna —
Thanks for the mention!
I was a binge writer for years, and found it very satisfying during the binges and the anticipation. However, as the years rolled by I found myself increasingly frustrated by two things:
1) When the binge came to an end, or I hit a block, that was it. I was screwed until I could muster up another binge.
2) After a binge, I would find myself exhausted–happily so–and creatively tapped out.
These two things coupled together meant that I spent more and more time frustrated by the feeling that I was at the mercy of my muse, that my output was comparatively small when measured against the level I was working at and the number of years I’d been writing, and that I simply wasn’t producing at a rate that I would be able to make a living on.
This dissatisfaction grew for a number of years–like you, I found daily writing to be a grind, and somewhat oppressive, and less joyful.
Last year, I was trying like hell to shake me loose from the worst part of binge writing: success. I’d put out two very popular podcast books, and I was completely blocked up with anxiety that I wouldn’t be able to repeat the performance. Try though I might, I simply could not summon my talent to do the sequel to Predestination, and I had an impatient audience writing increasingly irritated emails wanting to know when the next story would be available.
I had to do something. I decided to work on a nonfiction book and a short story–low demand projects that would hopefully shake me loose.
They did shake me loose. I wrote two full books in five weeks, followed it up with two short stories, and decided that, no matter what, I would *not* stop the binge. I started writing every day, on purpose, at least 1,000 words with an eye towards pushing to 5,000/day.
Seven months on, I’m at 3k/day, give or take the occasional day off and/or difficult day when I only squeeze out 1,000. I’ve written more than a third of my lifetime word count in the past seven months, and I’m poised to finish my fourth and fifth books written in that time.
I discovered that, after I got used to the discipline, the daily writing regimen is FAR more fulfilling than the binge work I did before–and the quality of the storytelling is better.
Assuming I can simply maintain my discipline for my current level of productivity, I should finish a further eight books (all already underway at some stage of development and/or writing) by a year from now. Even if I slow down a bit, I’ll still be MILES ahead of where I’d have been had I continued on the binge route, both in output and in craft.
For what it’s worth
-Dan Sawyer
Joanna Penn says
Hi Dan, thanks for your inspiration! You’re a writing legend!
I would ask a follow-up question though – were you working a day job while doing 3000-5000 words per day?
I spend time on my blog before work and also in the evenings but I find I can’t be “creative” with fiction on those days unless I get up very early before I put on my “day job head”. I need to leave the fiction until I can separate myself from the world of IT and immerse in story. So did you manage both, or is your prolific word count because you’re a pro now?
J. Daniel Sawyer says
Joanna —
I’ve been self-employed for about ten years now, though when I was working a day job I found it easier to write a little every day because of the externally imposed structure (after I started the first of my companies, I actually stopped writing fiction with any regularity for several years, because I couldn’t justify the time/energy–once I started again, it was in binge mode).
For myself, my prime productive periods during the day are late morning/early afternoon, and late night (11pm to 2am). I schedule my clients and client work and non-writing creative projects around those prime hours, so I can hit my natural rhythms best (and several days a week I have to sacrifice the early afternoon session).
Generally, when I’m in a groove, I can drop betwwn 1k and 1500 wds/hr. When I’m just writing without any particular momentum or inspiration, I’ll do around 800 in an hour. When I’m really grinding it out due to a mental or emotional block, I get maybe 2-300 words in an hour.
Once I hit 2k words in a day, I consider my minimum met, and then (depending on what time I have left and what other demands I have that day) the rest is a contest to see how much extra I can get. This slowly has pushed my minimum/average up (from my original baseline of 1k–which, if I don’t meet it now, I get really pissed about). So, a 2k day is acceptible, 3k is pretty good, 5k is great, 7500 is VERY satisfying, and 10-20k in a day (which I have only ever been able to do at the very end of a book, when all the pieces are in place and I’m mostly just transcribing) is VERY exceptional.
One of these days, though, I want 5k to be the minimum, 10k to be a good day, and 20k to be the great day. I’m a fast enough typist to pull it off, and a fast enough thinker, it’s just a matter of training myself up. Might take a few years, might only take one, but it’s nice to have a goal to shoot for every day 😉
Oh! That last paragraph reminds me: there’s one other set of things I’ve found very useful about shifting from binge writing to daily writing. Having that goal every day–it’s a mini-deadline, and it’s very useful for keeping the motivation up. I know that if I average 2k/day for a year, I’ve got between 6 and 10 novels for the year (depending on how I parcel the length), and 2k/day is increasingly easy as I keep meeting those daily deadlines. Since the most discouraging thing for me as a creative person is the feeling like I’m not getting anywhere, and the most discouraging thing as a freelancer is the doldrums that can come from a lack of structure, the 2k/day thing kills a whole flock of birds with what amounts to being just a teeny pebble.
-Dan
Joanna Penn says
You seriously are an inspiration. You and Dean Wesley Smith – prolific. That’s definitely where I want to get to but I’m also focusing on building this blog as a business in the non-work time. So I am not going to try and pace with your writing quite yet! Thanks for the extensive comments and sharing!
Lovelyn says
I’m definitely a binge writer. I go through stages of trying to force myself to write daily, but when I do I tend to write badly. What’s to point of sitting in front of the computer everyday feeling uninspired. I like to go out and get some inspiration. Then when the mood strikes I start writing.
KL Seton says
I Love to binge write – those are truly the moments when you feel in the zone. Although, for me, I find if I don’t write at least a little each day, those “zone moments” start to decrease. I have struggled with the discipline of daily writing, yet it has helped me to find a consistent voice. I believe that I’m the type who needs this level of structure to get something accomplished. I admire those of you can binge write 5,000 words and then take time off!
Joanna Penn says
In reading all these comments, I’m wondering if I’m actually a phase writer. i.e. I’m in a non-fiction, useful content and product phase right now. Then I’ll get back to fiction phase. I can drip feed non-fiction but need to binge fiction.
Christopher Wills says
Hi Joanna, interesting article. I’m a bit of both and I enjoy both. I have done nanowrimo three times which is my binge writing. It gets words on pages and forces me through all those mental barriers that keep popping up. The target of 50,000+ words in 30 days helps me to concentrate and its so satisfying knowing you can achieve that.
The every day bit is where currently I am finishing and editing one of my nanowrimos by getting up at 0500 every work day and writing for an hour before alarm clocks start going off. I love writing so early in the morning because my mind is rested and there are no distractions. I go to bed at 1000 to catch up on the sleep though.
Joanna Penn says
I’m a 5am writer as well. It helps being in Australia where the sun is up so early (Brisbane has no daylight savings!)
I’m also a sleeper so I am usually in bed by 9pm. I have thought about trying to reduce my sleep but I work very intensely and I think my brain needs those hours to process!
Sarah Ettritch says
I’m a “write most days” writer. On a typical day, I’ll write 800-1000 words. Big days for me are 2000+ words, but they’re rare. No matter how you write, you shouldn’t feel guilt or shame. The best method for you is what works for you.
Joanna Penn says
No guilt or shame round here! This is a positive thinking blog!
Richard Fife says
I’d say I’m a binge writer (I wrote 16000 words this past weekend, and probably won’t “write” on the project again for a week). That being said, I don’t view “writing” to be just be the process of sitting at the keyboard and pounding out the actual narrative prose. Doing the leg-work prior to the writing, blogging about things related to your writing, even just having discussions with people about those things, are all part of the process.
Part of this steams that I view myself as a “storyteller” more than a “writer”. So, yes, I might not put digital ink to digital paper every day, but I do think or act out in some way vis-a-vis my writing (steampunk at present, but I’ve tinkered in low and urban fantasy and sci-fi). As I see it, even reading about other people’s writing kind of counts. It is all material that will digest and compost into your own writing (so long as you get around to it, be it in daily bites or binges).
Long-short, though, I prefer to binge, although I could happily binge daily. I wrote a 100k word novel in 20 days once. It was glorious, although it burned me out for a few months after.
Joanna Penn says
I think I would also like to binge daily for a prescribed period. I see a future where I don’t have a day job and I write a novel or two a year in shorter phases of bingeing. Then I have traveling time to gather ideas, speak and also an online blogging business. Together that would form a balanced creative and productive life as well as a sound business model. watch this space!
Amanda Hackwith says
If I have a plan or a firm deadline for a structured project, I can write every day with awesome discipline. If it’s just a “someday” idea that I’m working on…I put it off till inspiration strikes and I binge write. Daily writing seems to be more productive for me, overall. That’s why structured projects like Project 52 or NaNoWriMo are effective.
Joanna Penn says
I totally agree, I am a deadline focused girl. I work really well under pressure which helps me with the binge phase!
Nancy Curteman says
I am neither a daily writer or a binge writer. In other words, I vary my approach to writing. However, I think about my current novel everyday. When I come up with an idea I will binge write. Sometimes I go to my novel an reread a scene. Then I usually refine it or open a new scene. I’d say I average writing on my novel about 4 days a week. The other days I write posts to my mystery writing/travel blog, Global Mysteries.
https://nancycurteman.wordpress.com/
Joanna Penn says
Fantastic Nancy. You prove that we can be successful with both approaches!
Daniele says
I write every day. I write blog posts, I write tales for contests. I’m in composting phase (to use your words) with my fantasy novel.
But sometimes I’m a binge writer, only if I have had no idea (or time) to write.
Joanna Penn says
I love composting phase…
Barry Napier says
I write SOMETHING every day, but very seldom is it on the same project for more than 4 or 5 days straight. I DO tend to get more accomplished with the binge writing, though. A little 4-500 word session is good, but after a 6,000 word session, I seem to really get a better feel for where the story is going.
Jamie D. (@JamieDeBree) says
I’m a “most days” writer…because that daily progress is more motivating to me, and makes me feel more like it’s a job, rather than a hobby. I’ve been writing almost daily for over a year now, and I actually get antsy if I don’t get at least some work in on a project every day.
But I think a lot of writers are binge-writers, and the beautiful thing about writing is we can work at it as we choose. 🙂
Joanna Penn says
Exactly, there are no rules in this game. We have to find the spaces and the time that is right for each one of us. I know my rhythm will change when I can go fulltime as an author/blogger/speaker.
Michael Donohue says
The comments seemed skewed towards the bingers. Wanted to put a vote in for the slow and steady. Even the 1,6k per day of NaNoWriMo left me gagging. I’m definitely happier steadily churning out 1k or so a day and leaving off the story with a little leftover, so I can come back in the next day and pick right up without dawdling over the keyboard or getting bogged down rewriting the prior day.
Joanna Penn says
You probably end up with more word count than the bingers 🙂
Margaret McGriff says
I’m definitely a binge writer, though occassionally I can write something almost everyday. I’ve forced myself to try and write something everyday (while working with a day job) but it doesn’t always work out the way. But when I’m in the groove, I can write for hours!
Nicole says
I write every day. Granted, sometimes I only write 50-100 words. Today I wrote about 1,500 words — it was a good day. :dreamy sigh:
Cliff Feightner says
Joanne,
I find I am also a binge writer. I intend to write every day but some days the juices just don’t flow. Other days, it is 12 hours in front of the keyboard. I’m also finding that I tend to write blog posts ahead of time, and schedule their posting. I’m usually looking for topics about a week ahead of when I might sit down to write. Other times, I get up in the middle of the night and capture thoughts in Word to work on the following day.
I don’t know if this will change in the future; I don’t think so. I’m too much of a ‘Type A’.
Needless to say, I enjoyed this post!.
Joanna Penn says
I schedule my blog posts too. I wrote this one weeks ago!