I was reading a blog the other day. The author said he would go without writing for days, weeks, or even months. Then he asked, “Do we need to write every day?” My initial response was to answer in the affirmative. Then I realized I don’t write every day. In fact, the only time I do any actual writing is in November during NaNoWriMo.
The fact I am not sitting at my computer and clicking the keys does not mean I am not writing. We know there is more to writing than committing words to paper. There is the pre-writing planning. For some, this involved meticulous outlining and structuring of the story. I am a pantser and don’t outline my novels. However, I spend hours running ideas through my brain, tinkering with themes, characters, and scenes.
Once the story is written, it needs to be revised, rewritten, and edited. All of this is time-consuming. The Painting was published earlier this year. The initial draft was written in twenty-one days. I spent the next year polishing the rough draft. To the point, I am continuing to polish The Wrong Box written for NaNoWriMo 23.
In the end, I stand by my initial response. An author needs to work on his craft every day. Ignoring it for any time makes it more difficult to find your groove again.
Have fun and good writing!
Steven Wilcox 