If you want to develop as a writer, the best way to do this is to write as much as possible. Ideally, you should write every day.

Every day may seem like a lot (it did to me when I was first starting out!) but writing every day is not only possible, it’s easily achievable, provided you follow these two important tips.

But first of all, what NOT to do

When I first began writing seriously around 2010, I was the sort of person who would really only write when I felt inspired. I would wait until I heard the call of the muse, and then I would sit down to write and write until I couldn’t possibly write anymore.

This meant that I would have a very productive single session of writing, but the next day I usually found that my creativity had been exhausted and I didn’t want to write anymore. I would need to recover for a few days, after which I would feel inspired, write myself to exhaustion again, and the cycle would repeat.

When I was stuck in this method of writing, I didn’t see how writing every day was possible (and the truth is it WASN’T, at least not in the way I was writing). So learn from my mistakes and follow these important pieces of advice.

Tip 1: Don’t Do What I did

First of all, don’t do what I did: don’t burn yourself out. If you are writing to the point where you can’t write anymore, you may feel productive in the moment, but what’s actually happening is you’re using up your creative reserves. These are not bottomless sources of energy and they need time to replenish. This means if you’re emptying them on one writing session, you will struggle to find energy for your writing the next day.

The best piece of advice I ever heard about finally learning to write every day was to stop writing when you feel like you still want to write some more. This may seem counterintuitive, but it works. When I follow this tip, I find that it’s much easier to access my creative energy when I come back to the story the next day. This is essential if you want to build a regular, daily writing routine.

Tip 2:

The second piece of advice I would offer to you is to schedule your writing in. Set aside roughly the same time every day – say, fifteen minutes in the morning – and stick to that schedule. This will make it much easier to actually write every day, rather than just trying to cram in the writing when you manage to find free time.

Prioritise your writing. Give it the regular devoted time it deserves.

Let me know how it’s going with you. Do you find it easy to write every day?