Daily Writing Equals Better Writing
Recently, we talked about developing better writing habits and I shared five writing tips to help you improve your writing over time by developing beneficial habits.
Today, I want to talk about why the number one tip on that list was write every single day, and I’ll explain why it’s the best path to better writing.
Writing on a Whim
I started out writing poetry just before I hit my teens. Writing was a sacred outlet, and I poured my dreams, frustrations, and desires onto the pages of my notebook. During those years, I developed a very unhealthy attitude about writing, one that I believe many young or new writers cling to — that talent is all that matters. You had it or you didn’t, and it never occurred me that something that required talent would also benefit from hard work. So, I wrote, but only when I felt like it. Weeks would go by and I wouldn’t write a word, and then in just a few days, I’d half fill a notebook with my amateur poetry.
By the time high school was over, my belief in talent and the habit I’d developed for writing only on a whim or whenever the fancy struck me were embedded into my thinking and my behavior. Later, my whole perception of writing would be shaken.
Daily Writing
Eventually, I entered the creative writing program at university. For the first time in my life, writing was more than a casual fling; it started to become challenging. Surrounded by peers of equal or even greater talent, I started pushing myself. I suddenly realized that I wanted produce better writing — I wanted to be a talented writer, yes, but also a developed one. My coursework required that I write constantly. In one semester I would have anywhere from two to four writing classes, with lots of homework and plenty of projects, which kept me busy writing — every single day.
Immediately, I began to see a change in my own work, a shift. The poetry I wrote was consistently better than what I’d written the day before. My short stories, once flat and lifeless, started to take on some energy, and my essays, which had always been strong, reached new heights.
There were many reasons for this rapid growth. I learned the value of editing, of being a choosy reader, of using resources, like books that were packed with writing exercises designed to improve different aspects of my writing or help me discover new terrain in my work.
The feedback from peer reviews and critiques were invaluable. But these practices ebbed and flowed. One course would be laden with critiques, and other courses wouldn’t involve them at all. Some instructors liked to see the raw footage, the unedited stuff; others made you proofread and revise incessantly before turning anything in. One thing, however, was completely consistent: daily writing had become an ingrained habit for me.
Better Writing Happens When You Do it Every Day
It was making a habit out of writing daily, making it a priority in my life, that had the greatest impact on improving my writing.
There are thousands of tips out there for how to be a better writer. You’ve all read the books or at least heard of them. There are articles and lists, websites (yes, like this one), and short courses that say do this, do that, write sideways or upside down. Write in a park, or try a cafe, use a thesaurus, burn the thesaurus…
All of that advice does have value. Sometimes you’ll find a golden writing tip that works perfectly for you, but it’s rare for those tips to prove helpful for everyone. Only a very few bits of advice are truly applicable for every writer across the board, and writing daily is first and foremost among them.
What are You Waiting For?
It almost seems obvious if you think about it. You want to be a writer, so uh — yeah — you should write. A lot. Yet many don’t.
Daily writing is by far the best way to become better. Writing regularly will even increase your creativity. Some people worry that if they write too often, they’ll run out of ideas. But the truth is that the more you create, the more creative you become. Writing daily will only give you more writing ideas than ever before.
Are there a few extra specially talented writers out there who can just produce mind-boggling work without practicing regularly? Of course, they’re prodigies. Should you let a day go by without writing a single word? Yes, occasionally, that’s probably a good thing to do. A little break now and then can give you some perspective.
If your goal is better writing, then commit to writing every single day. Whether you write for five minutes or an hour, doing it daily ingrains writing as a regular part of your life. Stick with it and eventually, you’ll master it.
So, keep on writing (every single day)!
Do you write every day? Occasionally? Only when you feel like it? How has your writing frequency improved or affected the quality of your writing? Do you have any tips to share that will help others produce better writing? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March, 2008. It has been updated and revised, and therefore republished.
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[...] Write as much as you can. This is also pretty well known advice, but just in case you only tried the advanced tips, remember [...]
I suppose writing blog comments doesn’t really count, huh? (grin)
Good points you make. I don’t write creatively every day. Probably why I make my living doing other things.
I tried writing creatively every day for a few years, and I realized it wasn’t for me. It made me frustrated and didnt improve my writing. My best writing is inspired, not forced. I just have to go with the muse and not get mad that she sometimes plays hide and seek.
@Deb, I totally think they count! In fact one of the many reasons I started blogging was to make sure that I write every day. Now, I don’t blog every day, but blogging has definitely increased how much I write! Yeah, I think it helps me improve even more because on top of just writing, I’m writing for an audience, which puts a whole new slant on it!
@Amy, I don’t write creatively every day either. Actually, I find that no matter what I write, my work gets better if I write something each day. I have a long way to go with fiction… maybe I should start a fiction blog. That could be very helpful.
@ Deb, I agree with Melissa too – when I comment I (usually) try to write something positive, something unique, in my own style. And sometimes it is grammatically correct…
I will say I get a lot of ideas and encouragement from the interactions on the blogs. That in itself is more than money can buy, I think.
PS – this is a great post Melissa! Thank you so much.
@Deb and Brett, I misread and that’s what I get for being in such a hurry today. I thought Deb’s comment just said “blogs” and I do think those count.
As for comments, I think it depends on how much thought goes into a comment. I’ve seen some pretty long well-written comments that could stand alone, especially over at Men with Pens, where commenting has reached a new art form.
I fully agree with writing everyday makes the writing better. Before I started doing paid posts with in my blog, I didn’t even blog everyday and I didn’t really write that much. Now since I have to have regular posts in between paid ones I feel more creative and in this past year I have written more stories and poems than I have in awhile. I also notice my stories and poems are becoming better the older I am and the more I write.
Since I started my fiction blog, my writing has improved a little -I’m humble and stuff, you should read my earlier work, I wouldn’t even dare feeding it to the dogs.
Writing each day, or at least every week, makes you think more about story lines, about character development, etc. just because each day, week you need new material. You’re pushing yourself to explore that brain even without Muse.
@Jenn, I haven’t done paid posts. I have mixed feelings about those. Maybe on another blog, but probably not this one. I do find that the more I write, the better it gets!
@Manictastic, I don’t even want to show what I’m writing now because I know next month I’ll look back and think it was terrible. That’s a writer’s plight, I suppose.
I completely agree with this! The more I write, the better I am at it.
.-= Positively Present´s last blog ..7 ways to celebrate summer =-.
Absolutely – as with anything – practice makes perfect.
Really? I always say “practice makes nearly perfect”, haha. Maybe I have a stricter definition for perfect.
But yeah. Certainly, if you do something every day, and you are constantly looking for ways to improve whatever you are doing, you are going to get better and better. (I am sure this post is better than the March 2008 version.)
.-= Kelvin Kao´s last blog ..One Thousand and One Nights of Stupid Stories =-.
It’s true – “practice makes nearly perfect.” But that just doesn’t have the same ring to it
Thanks for the great post. I think the other point here is that most people who have a ‘talent’ for writing are people who have unconsciously been training in it but haven’t really realised what they’ve done. They are people who always read, who listen avidly and catch others phrases, and generally have a love of language. However, informal training only takes you so far and then the hard work begins. Thanks for sharing this experience with us.
.-= Cassandra Jade´s last blog ..Writer’s Block =-.
Hi Cassandra, I couldn’t agree more, especially when it comes to reading. That is the best way for a writer to start absorbing language. I would definitely say that reading is good training for writers. Thanks!
I totally agree with you Melissa, writing daily is really important.
Whilst at school I would write reasonably regularly but whilst studying Journalism at university I had to write every day, whether it was an essay, a news article, a feature article or a press release.
Now I write every day and I do feel that it has an impact on my writing skills, it helps to improve in small ways such as increasing my vocabulary.
I think that’s awesome. Writing is like anything – the more you practice, the better you get.
When I struggle to write (those moments of writer’s block), I either pick up a book or browse through my feedreader. That usually inspires me to create new content!
.-= Ricardo Bueno´s last blog ..LinkedIn Networking Tip: Personalized Invitations =-.
Me too. Actually, I’ll even watch a movie or listen to some music. Seems like any art will inspire me to write
Hehe… You know what gets me going? Cirque du Soleil. I’ll usually pop in a dvd and either watch it or just listen to it. Either way, that usually gets me going…
.-= Ricardo Bueno´s last blog ..Don’t Be That Guy! =-.
I absolutely love Cirque du Soleil, though I’ve never been able to go see the show in person. It’s definitely inspiring — and amazing what the acrobats can do!